Shielded From View
by Rointheta
Summary: Rose and the Doctor wake up hungover after celebrating saving the day. He barely remembers anything at all, but she has a few fuzzy memories of what happened last night.
1. A Night to Remember

**nsfw: **This chapter is very light adult.  
**Warning: **Drunkenness.**  
beta: **resile  
**a/n:** I did a prompt meme and I've used different prompts for each chapter. This chapter was inspired by these words: _Meadow + Blackout + Shield_

* * *

**SHIELDED FROM VIEW  
**_Chapter 1 - A Night to Remember_

* * *

_Rose clutched at the Doctor's shoulders, legs linked around his waist. He pounded into her without finesse, breath hot and sweet on her face. She was whimpering, close enough to forget the dewy ground under her body, the rock digging into her back, the laughter and music coming from across the meadow. Snaking a hand between them, she nudged her fingers to where she needed them, fighting for room with his hand holding her knickers aside. Pleasure surged through her from her rubbing, arching her back and curling her toes. She bit down on his shoulder when she came, mouth so full of cotton reeking from bonfire smoke her stomach turned, and she let go to suck in fresh air. Her head dropped back on the ground and she stared up at the black, starry sky, grinning at how it spun and spun. Her ears buzzed, drowning out the sound of the Doctor's low moan, and water washed over her bare feet._

* * *

Wait.

Rose opens her eyes, slamming them shut when the bright morning light stings them. A sweet ache throbs between her legs from her dream and she moans, hands itching to travel down her body, but then nausea hits her. She rolls over on her side, focussing on her breathing to get her upset stomach under control. The water splashes up to her calves and she peeks one eye open, staring at the gentle waves for a long moment before she realises she's lying on a beach. She sits up and her stomach lurches, sending her scrambling to her knees and retching over the sand. The stench hits her nose and she crawls away from the pool of sick towards the water, splashing it on her face. She hums at how it cools her down, and casts a longing glance at the ocean. Maybe just a quick dip. The Doctor said these waters are safe. The Doctor!

She flies to her feet, but stops after one step when pain flares up in her head. She presses one hand against her forehead, and curls the other over the small of her back. God, _everything_ aches.

"Doctor?" she calls, squinting at the empty beach. She groans, scrunching up her face, and drags herself over the sand to the edge of a meadow full of wildflowers, bushes, and high, green grass. "Doctor?"

Chirping and twittering fill the air, the sound piercing through her skull, and she glares at her surroundings as though she can shut up nature with dirty looks. A loud snore rumbles over the meadow. She stops.

"Doctor?"

Guided by the snores, she moves towards a row of tall rose bushes and rounds it, chuckling out loud at what she sees: the Doctor sleeping on his back under the foliage, hair a mess, shirt wrinkly and untucked, mouth hanging open with drool running from one corner. He holds one of her ballet flats, the other shoe is lying next to his head, and she scoops them up, putting them on before kneeling next to him.

"Doctor?"

"Hrng."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. I feel like someone ran me over with a lorry," she says, curling up next to him. "Ow! What the..." She furrows her brow and sticks her hand under her hip, pulling out a rock the size of her fist. Shaking her head, she tosses the rock over her shoulder and pokes the Doctor in the chest. "Wake up. We need to get back to the TARDIS for some bloody painkillers before my brain explodes."

"Shhh. Sleeping," he says, lifting his hand, but letting it drop right away.

She rolls over on her back, peering through the leafage at the blue sky. "We were stargazing…"

"Huh?"

"I think we were…"

* * *

_Running over the meadow, holding the Doctor's hand, Rose's whole body buzzed from the spicy drinks the locals had served them all night. She turned around to comment on it, to ask him if he felt the same with his superior biology, but her feet got caught in a tuft and she tumbled back, pulling him with her as she fell. He landed on top of her with an 'oomph', face close to hers, gaze so hot she had to stare at the dark, twinkling sky to stop herself from giving him the snog of a lifetime._

* * *

"Rose? Why are you in my bedroom?"

"Wha'?" She blinks, turning her head to look at him. "Oh, you're awake."

He rubs his temples, eyes closed. "I wish I weren't. Blimey, my head hurts. Hold on. I've got something for that…" He shoves his hand into his trouser pocket, rummaging around for a couple of seconds, and pulls out a small, white jar. "Works instantly. Just let it melt on your tongue," he says, picking up two pills, giving her one and tossing the other into his mouth. "You never told me why you're in my bedroom, though. Or how! The door only opens for me."

She chuckles. "Doctor. Open your eyes. We're lying on a meadow."

"Oh. Really?" He sits up, eyes moving around, then lies back down. "Huh. Thought it smelled a bit grassy."

She places the pill on her tongue and closes her eyes as it melts, smiling when the pounding in her head eases into a gentle throbbing that ebbs away within seconds.

"Rose?"

"Yeah."

"What happened last night? The last thing I remember was sitting around a bonfire in a small village. Not that I can quite remember _why_ we were sitting around a bonfire in a small village… Oh! And singing. I'm almost positive there was singing."

"Uhm… God, let's see. We defeated the dragon, right, and–"

"Dragon?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly a dragon, but the name was really complicated and you said it was close enough to a dragon, so yeah."

"Right. A urliggfixlichgruppgorgian."

"You should've been there when I threw up earlier, 'cause it sounded exactly like that."

He snorts out a laugh. "I've got gum. D'you want gum?"

"God, yes," she says, grabbing the stick he hands her. She shoves it into her mouth, humming as she chews. "And then the–"

"Where did you throw up? I can tell on your breath you did, but the meadow doesn't smell like vomit."

"Lovely. Waking up to my hangover vomit breath."

He shrugs one shoulder. "It's all right."

"I threw up on the beach. I woke up there. No idea why, though. Last thing _I_ remember was leaving the celebrations and–"

"Celebrations?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. The villagers threw a party in our honour, and you really wanted to stay for once, 'cause the village chief owned a rare book on those dragons and you wanted to see it. And they served us some drink, like this gorgeous, spicy, frothy thing, and I think we had a few."

"A few?" the Doctor asks, one eyebrow quirked. "D'you remember what they were called?"

"Yeah. Uhm…" She circles her hand, searching for the word. "Sum-something."

"Sumbulas?"

"Yeah!"

"Ah. I can _not_ have been in my right mind to accept those. Gallifreyans get really, _really_ drunk. Drunker than you lot, even."

"You didn't even mention that. Mind you, you had a couple before you asked for the name, so… Yeah, suppose you were already a bit sloshed."

"Oh, well. No harm, no foul. Only the worst headache I've had in my life."

"Yeah. Thank god for those pills, though."

"Nah," he says, moving over on his side, closer to her, and propping himself up on his elbow, "Just thank Doctor."

"Thank you," she says with a smile, stomach swooping at him beaming back.

* * *

_His weight pressed down on her, trapping her legs, and she shifted them until she cradled him between her thighs. She opened her mouth to utter an excuse, but he made no effort to roll off her. Her dress had ridden up to her hips, and the cool summer breeze ghosted over her bare legs. He smiled, crinkles fanning from his dark eyes to his flushed cheekbones._

"Doctor? How are we supposed to stargaze when you're lying on top of me?" she asked, grinning.

"I don't need to. I see the stars reflected in your eyes."

She laughed. "Oh, my god, that's cheesy."

"Maybe. Doesn't make it less true, though."

He shifted his weight to his left forearm, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek with his right hand. Her eyes flitted down to his mouth, finding his lips parted and so close to hers she would only need to lift her head the slightest bit to kiss him.

"But, very well." He rolled off her with a sigh and settled on his back next to her, one arm extended and gesturing at the sky. "That constellation's...probably… Ehm… Blimey, I'm drunk." He giggled. "I can't remember the name."

* * *

"Then what?" the Doctor says, bringing her back to the present.

She fills her chest with air, exhaling in a woosh. "Uhm… Then you said we should go back to the TARDIS, 'cause we were really drunk, but… I...fell."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I-I think so. I fell down. Yeah, and you did, too. I think. And we lay on the ground and–"

He looks at her with bright eyes, brows raised, jaw relaxed, mouth curled into a faint smile. "And?"

"Uhm… You said something about stargazing and then… Yeah. I'm not sure. I had this dream and it's getting all jumbled up."

"Oh?"

"Uhm…" She licks her lips and sits up, back turned to him. "I'm not sure– Well, in my dream we were...stargazing."

He glances up at the thick ceiling of branches and white flowers. "In a bower?"

"Yeah. You said that it would shield us from view."

"We were stargazing _in secret_?" he asks, voice full of mirth.

"Dunno." She hugs her knees to her chest. "Think maybe I dreamed that."

"Well, if I were to use my frankly magnificent brain I would guess that we probably realised we'd gone the wrong way and–"

"We did?"

"Yep, I can feel her. We should've gone...that way," he says, and looking over her shoulder, she sees him pointing in front of them, a little bit to the left. "So, d'you know what I think, Rose Tyler? I think I probably suggested that we, in our very drunken state, should spend the night under this lovely bower, shielded from view. You know…" He sniffs and jerks his head, the corners of his mouth downturned. "In case of dragons."

"Yeah, of course," she says through a laugh.

"Yep. But d'you know what the real mystery is?"

"No."

"Why did you sleep on the beach instead of with me? Er–" He ruffles his hair, brow furrowed as he looks around. "Have you seen my coat?"

"No," she says, turning back to hide her smile, "I think you might've left it in the village."

"Ah. Well, fancy a stroll, then? I'm not leaving without my coat." He jumps to his feet and proffers her his hands, tugging her to stand when she takes them. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Those pills were amazing! I'm just hungry, now. And I could definitely do with a bath. And, uhm, and I need to wee."

"Well, then." He pulls a handful of beige tissues from his pocket and gives them to her. "Just put them under a rock. Think I saw one in there. They're engineered to decompose in two days."

"'Kay. Thanks."

"Yep! I'll leave you to it, then, under this nice little bower, shielded from view," he says with a wink and, tucking his shirt back into his trousers, turns around and ducks behind the row of bushes.

She tugs down her knickers, crouches down, and relaxes.

"Lovely day today, hm?" he says. "I feel _brilliant_. D'you think it's because I slept on a meadow? Hm… S'been a while for me. Must've been a few decades, at least, since I did that. Maybe it's good for my health! Or maybe it's just–"

"Doctor, I'm trying to wee."

"Oh, right. Sorry. Carry on! I'll be quiet over here."

She does her business and walks out to him, linking her arm with his when he offers it.

"I think I know why you went to the ocean."

"Yeah?"

"Mm." He smiles and boops her nose. "You don't have any makeup on. Maybe your drunk brain zeroed in on absolutely having to wash off your makeup before bed."

* * *

_"D'you have any tissues?" she asked._

"Should have. Don't remember how to use my arms. See," he said, lying completely still.

"In which pocket?"

"I can hear the ocean. Can you hear the ocean?"

"I… Yeah, I think I do."

"We should swim."

"How are you gonna swim if you don't remember how to use your arms?"

"Rose, you are far too logical right now. It's rude. You're rude. Go run the bath for us. I'll be right there."

She giggled. "Wha'?"

"Shhh. I'm sleeping."

"Is the ocean close?"

"Yeah. A hundred metres. Or so say my ears. Mind you, they're a bit wonky."

"They're cute."

"You're cute."

"Yeah?"

"Mm. Stay."

"No. It's like brushing your teeth, yeah? You gotta do it. It's like-like…"

"Engrained."

"Yeah! Exactly." She lifted his arm from her waist , rolling over on her stomach and pushing herself up on her knees and hands. "Blimey, everything's spinning. I might have to crawl."

"Do that. I'll make sure no one steals your spot," he murmured, patting the ground beside him and hitting one of her shoes. "Or your shoes! And if I'm not here when you come back, I've probably been eaten by a urliggfliggpligg– What the hell was that creature called?"

"Dragon."

"Yes. Good. Dragon. With me in its belly."

"I know how to defeat them now, though. I'll avenge your death."

"Maybe I'll regenerate in its belly. And then it will give birth to me. I'll be the Dragon Doctor. Droctor. Dractor. Docton. Docgon. Dog. I'll be dog."

"God, you're drunk."

"Dog is god backwards. I'll be God. I'm a god, Rose. You," he said, grabbing her shoe and pointing at her with it, "just declined falling asleep in the arms of a god. Just so you know."

"Yeah, I'll live."

"You better. I've got used to you."

She grinned. "I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"What can I say. I'm a sweet bloke. And you…" He mumbled something she couldn't discern.

"And me? Doctor?"

He rolled over on his side with a grunt, breaths heavy.

"Doctor?" She sighed. "I'll be back soon. I hope," she said, and started making her way to the beach.

* * *

"Rose?"

"What?"

"You disappeared."

She blinks. "Literally?"

"What?" He chuckles. "No. Not literally. Although, I shouldn't be surprised you asked. Suppose that sort of thing tends to happen, living this life."

She shakes her head. "God, sorry. I'm not quite… You know when you have those dreams, yeah, that feels so vivid and real and then you wake up and you think it's happened. Like, this one time I dreamed that I was pregnant, and I woke up hysterical, 'cause I didn't know what I was gonna say to mum. And I hadn't even had sex yet!"

"What did you dream, then? That you disappeared?"

"Uuuhm. Yeah. Yeah, I did, yeah. I disappeared."

"You didn't, though." He beams at her. "You're right here. Are you hungry? I'm hungry!"

"Yeah, me too."

He licks his lips, brow furrowing in thought. "Hm… Did we eat something? I have a vague memory of…" He gestures around his head. "Did we eat something? I think I– Something sweet. A little tangy, maybe. Did we eat berries?"

"Uhm… Dunno. I don't remember eating anything."

He smacks his tongue. "Something delicious. Can't quite place it."

"Yeah, I just taste like vomit and mint."

He laughs. "Maybe I tasted something after you decided to sleep on the beach. Maybe some sap. Yeah," he licks his lips again, "that must be it. I probably licked a bush."

"What? You licked a _bush_?"

"Seems like something drunk me would do."

"To be honest, it seems like something you would do, period. Drunk or not."

"Ha! Suppose you have a point. Anyway, that bower was full of rishkba bushes – the lower ones, between the roses, dark green leaves?" he says, but she just shrugs. "Oh, well, that sap's so tasty they make sweets from it. Oooh! We should get some. There has to be a shop in the village."

"You really don't remember?"

"Nope."

"Nothing?" she says, twirling her hoop earring.

He regards her for a moment and she fails to fight the blush creeping up her cheeks. "Why? Rose, did you do something–"

"No! What? Uhm. You said-you said– You wanted me to, uhm, to sleep in your arms."

His eyes widen. "Eer. In your dream, or…"

"No, I'm pretty sure you said that for real."

He exhales in a smile, relaxing, eyes directed upward and ears turning red. "Oh, well. I do like hugging, so I suppose drunk me might've thought that a horizontal–" He breathes in through his nose. "D'you smell that? Bread. Freshly baked. Bacon. Or, you know, their equivalent to bacon. And coffee!" He grins, sliding his hand down her arm and linking their fingers together. "Breakfast! Let's run!"

* * *

.

* * *

They eat breakfast in the village and buy three boxes of rishkba sweets before walking back to the TARDIS. They head to their separate rooms for showers and a change of clothes and, although she has no reason to suspect that her dreams were anything but just that, Rose checks out her body in the mirror for any signs. She has no scratches or lovebites, but she does have a a couple of scrapes on her knees from crawling, and a bruise on the small of her back.

Biting her lip, she ghosts her fingers over the bruise. She could've got it when she fell. Or maybe she _did_ lie on the ground to sleep for a moment before she decided to crawl to the ocean to wash off her makeup. She jumps into the shower and grabs a shampoo bottle, squeezing the liquid into her palm and massaging it onto her scalp. She grazes a bump and winces, touching it again with careful fingers.

* * *

_"But, very well." He rolled off her with a sigh and settled on his back next to her, one arm extended and gesturing at the sky. "That constellation's...probably… Ehm… Blimey, I'm drunk." He giggled. "I can't remember the name."_

"If you're that drunk, we should probably head back to the TARDIS."

"Sounds like a capital plan, Little Miss Tripping Over Her Own Feet."

"Oi! It was a tuft. This ground's really uneven. And I'm also fucking pissed."

He giggled. "You said 'fucking'."

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck."

He rolled over on his side, laughing. "Very mature, Rose."

"Says the one laughing like a little kid."

"Rose," he said, stifling his laughter and adopting a serious expression, "I have some terrible news. Or, possibly, pleasant news, depending on your view on sleeping in the wild."

"Oh?"

"We've definitely gone the wrong way."

"I knew it! Told you, didn't I? Why didn't you listen to me?"

"Dunno. Was distracted by your lips."

"What?"

"But! I saw a bower over yonder where we can sleep shielded from view. You know–" He pushes his chin back, chest moving with a silent burp. "In case of dragons."

"Yonder?"

"Yes! Yonder. Nice word, don't you think? I should say it more often. Yonder," he said, scrambling to his feet and grabbing her around the wrists to tug her up to stand. "Yonderyonderyonder."

"Fuckfuckfuck."

He burst out laughing, losing his hold on her and she tumbled backwards, crying out when she hit her head on something.

"Rose? Are you all right?"

She sat up and grimaced, hovering her hand over the back of her head. "I hit something." She reached behind her, fumbling after the perpetrator and letting out a triumphant woop when her fingers closed around a fist-sized rock. "There you are, nasty little bugger. Evil, that's what you are, Rocky," she said, hurling it to the side.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"You just tossed the rock under the bower."

"Oh, bloody hell."

"C'mon. Up you get," he said, pulling her back up on her feet. He slid his arms around her waist and held her close, dipping his head and looking into her eyes. "Just so you know, though. There will be no canoodling."

"I see."

"I don't canoodle," he said, releasing her, and they started walking.

"I know, Doctor."

"Not even with you. Especially_ not with you."_

"Wow, thanks."

"You're welcome! You know what I do do, Rose?" He giggled. "Do-do."

"Probably something weird," she said, losing her balance and swaying into him. He grinned and bumped her straight. "Yeah, I'm positive it's something weird."

"Spoon! I spoon. You know? Spooning. Oooh. We've reached the bower." He stopped, spinning around on his heel and falling on his bum with a yelp. "Rose, I think I've got your rock up my arse."

"I bet you say that to all the girls," she said, dropping to her knees and pushing him aside. "There you go. Rock-free bum, free of charge."

"What girls?"

"Dunno," she said on a sigh, lying down next to where he was sitting, "the ones you whisk away."

He frowned, curling his hand and moving it in tight circles in front of him. "How on Earth do you whisk a girl?"

"If anyone could, I'm sure you'd be the one."

"Too right, I would!" He yawned, then lay down and smiled at her. "I think I need to sleep first. But tomorrow! Tomorrow, Rose Tyler, I'm going to… What was I going to do?"

"God, I don't remember. Let's just sleep."

* * *

Rose laughs at the memory, then closes her eyes and thinks back as hard as she can: the images of the dream flashes before her, followed by the fuzzy memories of tripping, almost kissing the Doctor, landing on the rock, and leaving him once he fell asleep. She hums, thinking it through once again, then shakes her head and continues to wash her hair.

She's had so many sex dreams about him since they met and, as the days pass and turn into weeks, this hazy one joins the pile and becomes inextinguishable from the rest.

_tbc_

* * *

**tbc**


	2. Caught in a Storm

**Warning: **Drunkenness.**  
beta: **resile  
**a/n:** I did a prompt meme and I've used different prompts for each chapter. This chapter was inspired by these words: _Aircraft + Weather + Glasses_

* * *

**SHIELDED FROM VIEW  
**_Chapter 2 - Caught in a Storm_

* * *

Rose wakes up from her stomach rumbling. Blinking her eyes open, she takes a look around the room. She usually wakes up by her alarm or the Doctor bounding into the room with a cheerful, 'Morning!' but her room is empty and quiet. She shrugs, gets up, and pads to the en suite, where she empties her bladder before grabbing her toothbrush. She spreads toothpaste across it and sticks it into her mouth, gagging at the first stroke. She tries again, but her stomach flips and she dry-heaves over the sink, toothpasty saliva dripping from her lips.

"That's what I get for getting up too early," she mutters and puts down the toothbrush, slipping out of her sleep shorts and vest top.

She takes a quick shower before a third try with the toothbrush. Cleaning her teeth with short, shallows strokes, she manages well enough, and finishes off with mouthwash. She runs her tongue over her teeth and smiles into the mirror.

"Eh. Good enough," she says with a shrug.

After throwing on some clothes and tying her damp hair up in a bun, she shuffles to the galley to quiet her noisy stomach. The Doctor, who is standing by the counter, kettle in one hand, cup in the other, turns around the second she enters the room. Eyebrows raised as far as he possibly can, he stares at her as though she's sprouted wings and is fluttering towards him, rather than plodding.

"You're up early. It's barely six am for you."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm hungry," she says, moving to the fridge.

"Good!" He smiles and turns back to the counter, filling his cup with hot water. "We've landed on Noah's Ark, it's sort of like a safari planet, and you really shouldn't go there on a full stomach, since that rather defeats the purpose of your trip!"

She blinks at him, holding the door to the fridge wide open. "Safari planet? Are we...going _hunting_?"

"Oh, absolutely not! Who do you take me for?" His brow furrows and the corners of his mouth turn down in an affronted expression. "I've landed us here, because they have the best waffles in the entire universe." He nods at the fridge, giving her a pointed look. "So, it sort of defeats the purpose to eat breakfast before."

"Waffles?" she says with a smile.

"Yep! You said yesterday that you really wanted waffles, so I reckoned…"

"Yeah, all right," she says, grinning. "Sounds amazing. I'm having breakfast, though."

"What? No! Didn't you hear me saying that it completely defeats–"

"The purpose? Yeah, I heard you," she says, pulling out bread, and a bowl of chicken salad with mayonnaise and apples. "But I'm really hungry. I promise I'll taste all the waffles, but I need something now." Her stomach rumbles and she looks at the Doctor. "See?"

She grabs a spoon, scoops up a generous amount of salad and dumps it on a slice of white, folding it in half and taking a large bite.

"Okay… Er, I made you a cuppa."

She scrunches up her nose and shakes her head. "No, ta," she says, mouth full of a second bite, and rummages through the fridge after the orange juice.

She munches up the rest of her sandwich and makes another one, sticking the bowl and bread back into the fridge and tucking the juice bottle into the pocket of her hoodie.

"'Kay, let's go."

The Doctor regards her for a short moment, then presses his wrist against her forehead. "Hm. Your temperature is slightly raised, you're hungry, and your instinct is to drink orange juice instead of your usual cuppa. Are you coming down with something?"

She shrugs, shoving more food into her mouth.

"You'll tell me if you're not feeling well, right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just hungry, that's all."

"All right. Let's go, then!"

* * *

.

* * *

Hand-in-hand, Rose and the Doctor follow the bipedal lizard guiding them to their rented vehicle. They reach a landing dock and, stretching his long, black tail upwards, he pushes a button in the ceiling. A large, swan-shaped aircraft glides forward and stops right in front of them, white wings extended.

"And here you have your aircraft," the renter says, gesturing with his tail. "It's a Swan 23XP, decked out with a wide leather seat, reclinable with a simple push of a button. There are pillows and blankets in the small compartment under the seat. Behind the seat, there's a toilet with a sink. No shower, but enough room to wash up if needed. There's enough water to last three days for two people.

"There's also an anchor beam, but you can only activate it if the craft detects it's needed. We've had problems with youths." He shakes his head. "To the left of the pilot, who sits on the left, there's a mini bar full of alcohol-free drinks and snacks. There are hovering stands all over the planet where you can buy anything you need in form of drinks, food, and souvenirs. There are also waste stations, and medical platforms placed at regular intervals, and of course, teleports. And in this," the says, handing a thin, plastic rectangle to the Doctor, "is the keycard to the Swan 23XP."

"Thank you!" the Doctor says, turning towards the aircraft, but stopping when the renter clears his throat.

"I'm sorry, sir, but our detectors tell me that you're in possession of a sonic screwdriver. No weapons allowed on board."

"But–"

"It's the policy, sir. I'm very sorry, but I'll have to confiscate it," the renter says, holding out his hand. "It will wait for you in the check-out when you return."

"Oh, all right." The Doctor slips his sonic out of his pocket, presses a button, and hands over the device.

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice trip."

The renter moves the tip of his tail to his forehead in a salute, turns around and heads off to show the next customers to their aircraft.

Rose eyes the vehicle and runs her fingers over one of the wings, then turns to the Doctor. "We're really going in this thing?"

"Yep."

"Cool!" Shooting him a grin, she climbs on board and plops down on the wide leather seat. "You okay without your sonic?"

"Yeah. I don't really need it most of the time. And I turned on the failsafe. No one but me can use it now, no matter how much they try, and if they try to pick it apart it'll activate the self-destruct mechanism."

"Self-destruct?"

He shrugs. "I'd just build a new one."

"Okay, that's good." She tests out the seat by bouncing a little. "This is nice. Really comfy."

"Isn't it?" Smiling, the Doctor settles down next to her and, with a push of a button, makes a glass dome slide into place above their heads. "One of their finer models. Well, for two, anyway. The family sized albatros models are quite impressive."

"Albatros… Are all the models based on birds, then?"

"Yep. The owner of this planet, Edwardium Goose, was very fond of birds and–"

She snorts. "Yeah, 'course he was."

"Yep, suppose he didn't have much of a choice. Anyway, he decided that all crafts should look like birds. There are eagle crafts, and owl crafts, and flamingo crafts, and, well, any larger Earth bird you can think of, really. Except goose crafts. There's only one, and it's owned by him. You see it sometimes, though. It's become a competition, trying to spot the goose. If you see it, you… Hm…" The Doctor hovers his fingers over the instrument panel and chuckles when he finds a goose shaped button. "Ah, there we go. You just press this, they'll check your coords, and if you're correct, you win three stones of their best chocolate."

Rose's eyes widen. "Really? Three stones?"

"Yep."

"Well, that's my kind of bird watching! I'm gonna be on the lookout for Mr. Goose, I am."

The Doctor smiles, sticks the keycard into a slot in the dashboard, grabs the steering wheel and pilots them out of the landing dock. Rose grips the edge of the passenger door and gawks at the dark mountains sprouting up from the edges of an enormous green savannah. A lion pride stretches out around a watering hole, several females drinking whilst cubs tumble around behind them. Farther ahead, a safe distance from the predators, a herd of elephants marches past a tower of giraffes eating from tall trees.

"Wow… It's like Africa."

"Yes. It's _like_ Africa."

"Oooh. You said Noah's Ark, yeah? So, this is like a nature reserve, then? For Earth animals."

"Yep. The whole planet is. Hence the aircrafts. No one's allowed on ground, except the vets and caretakers. And that's only in very rare cases. Mostly, the animals are left in peace."

"That's amazing! How close to the ground are we allowed to go?"

"Pretty close." His face splits into a wide grin. "Hold on tight, Rose Tyler. Down we go!"

She grips the armrest to her right and presses her feet to the floor, giggling when the Doctor makes a quick swoop downwards. He pulls up the aircraft a hundred metres from the grass, and she breathes out, exchanging excited looks with him. The grazing animals barely glances up, and Rose hangs over the edge of the passenger door to take a good look at them.

"Wow, this is so cool. I've always wanted to go to Africa. This is better, though. A lot better. Is this planet made to look like the whole Earth, then? Or is it just this continent?"

"It's an exact replica of Earth. Well, minus all the people and houses and whatnot. Oh, and plus the hovering stations placed all over the sky, of course."

"Ooh, speaking of! You said something about waffles."

"You're already hungry?" he says in an amused tone, mouth forming a crooked smile.

She shrugs and grins, and he steers the craft higher, piloting them to a Belgian waffle stand. They order fizzy drinks, and three waffles each – banana hazelnut for the Doctor; two ham and cream cheese, and one nutella and strawberries for Rose – and return to the safari, snacking on their breakfast as they glide through the air. The Doctor moves them from pride to herd to flock to clan to leap, pointing at the different animals and sharing his knowledge about them. When they reach a teleport, they jump to the bamboo forests of China, where they pick up a couple of slices of pizza each and park nearby a panda chewing on bamboo.

They spend the afternoon whizzing over to India to watch tigers and, once their bellies tell them it's time for tea, the Doctor checks the map for the nearest curry stand. He guides the craft past another waffle stand specialising in the meatier variety and a foul stench hits Rose's nose.

"Oh, god. What's that _smell_?"

He sniffs. "Perturian cheese, and bacon."

"Oh, my god. It smells like rotten feet." Her stomach turns and she covers her mouth with her hand. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"It's not the most pleasant of smells, I'll give you that, but it's not _that_ bad, Rose. No need to be dramatic."

"No, I'm–" She retches, tugging at his arm. "Bag!"

His eyes widen, brows drawn together. "There's a loo behind you."

She nods, stomach convulsing, and rushes over to the loo, reaching the sink at the precise moment as she vomits. Cool fingers brush back her hair, bunching it into a ponytail and keeping it from her face, and she keeps heaving until nothing comes up but air.

"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to throw up in the sink, but I didn't have time to get the lid up," she says, plopping down on the toilet.

The Doctor fills up a glass of water and hands it to her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right, just _please_ get us out of here. I can't stand that smell."

"But–"

"You can examine me all you want later, just get us the hell away."

He nods and grips the backrest of the seat, leaping over it and settling down, hands on the steering wheel. Holding her breath, she cleans the sink with water and a cleaning solution she finds in a small cupboard. She washes her hands, rinses her mouth, and plops down on the toilet, staring out at the sky. The cheese stench permeates the aircraft and she pinches her nose closed between taking sips of her water.

"There! Shouldn't be able to smell it now." The Doctor pushes a button and jumps over the seat, returning to her side and crouching down. He looks up at her, brow furrowed, and sighs. "There's a medical station not far from here, but the infirmary in the TARDIS is so much better. So, I would like to fly back. There's a teleport farther away that can take us back to the platform. Is that all right?"

"Yeah."

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. Well, my mouth taste like death, but good. And hungry."

He slips on his glasses and, scratching his jaw, flits his eyes over her face in a way that makes her feel like a fascinating specimen to study. She sticks out her tongue at him and pushes him out of the way, moving over to the seat.

"If you're gonna be all doctory, can we at least do it out here? And please tell me you have gum."

He dips his hand into his pocket, searching for a moment, then pulls out a stick and hands it to her.

"You usually don't suffer from motion sickness. We did visit your mother the other day. Did she say anything about a bug going around? A common stomach flu is the only thing I can think of, really."

"No, but I've been a bit tired lately, and I did feel queasy this morning."

"Oh? Then why the hell did you tell me you were fine? I would've tucked you back into bed and–"

"'Cause I was feeling fine. I was just a bit, dunno. You know when you wake up too early and get all…" She wrinkles her nose. "Like you feel nauseated."

"No. That's probably a human thing."

"Oh. But what about those waffles? I had ham. What if the ham was bad?"

"Hm… That might be it. Doesn't explain this morning, though." He turns to the dashboard, flipping up a keyboard folded under it, and types as he talks, "I'll send the head quarters a message about it. Either way, though, your body obviously needs a lot of fuel and fluids, so I think we should make a pit stop and buy you something before we head to the teleport."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"D'you want a blanket?"

"No, I'm fine."

"You look a little tired."

"I'm fine."

"I'll recline the seat and you can take a kip. I'll wake you up once the food's ready. There's a great burger place not far from–"

"No." She shudders, mouth twisting in disgust. "I want coleslaw. Oh! And chips with a lot of vinegar."

He swallows, crinkle between his brows deepening. "Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Hm."

"What?"

"Hm?" he says, raising his eyebrows. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

He gives her a tight smile and reclines the backrest, finds a blanket and pillow, helping her get cosy as she curls up on the seat. She mumbles out a couple of protests, but sleepiness washes over her right away, and soon she drifts off.

* * *

.

* * *

When she wakes up again, the sun is hanging low, casting warm rays over a darkening sky. A paper bag, top crunched close, stands on the floor, the mouthwatering smell of its contents wafting to her nose. Her stomach growls and she stretches out with a groan.

"Oh, good, you're up," the Doctor says. "I was just about to wake you."

He slides his arm under her and helps her sit up, turning back the backrest. He arranges the pillow and blanket around her to make her comfortable, and she watches him, smile curling on her mouth. He places a tray in her lap, opens the bag, and puts down her food for her, grabbing a carton for himself and opening it to reveal fish and chips. She hears a faint rumble in the distance, sees the sky light up far away, and she takes a good look around.

"Where are we? Shouldn't we get back?"

"There's a storm coming," he says around a mouthful of food. "Everything shuts down in a storm. It's not safe to travel. People get hysterical, so the teleports turn into anchor beams." He taps the glass dome over their heads and she looks up, seeing the bottom of another aircraft. "It keeps you steady midair. We're in a row of at least ten crafts. The aircrafts are decked out with their own, of course, but it's not as strong. This is safer."

"Are we staying here all night?"

"Yep. I listened to the weather forecast earlier, and they predict that the storm will be over at ten am, or so."

"Oh." She grabs her fork, digging into her coleslaw. "Can they see us? Those people up there."

"Nope. This dome is sort of like a two-way mirror, only on the outside it doesn't look like a mirror. Just solid."

"But we'll see the rain and the storm," she says, smiling.

"Yeah. Kinda cool, hm?"

"Yeah."

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel good."

"How about your nausea?"

She shakes her head. "I feel good. Or I–"

"Or?" He scoots closer, eyeing her.

"Just like… My head feels a little heavy. I think I just need to eat and drink."

"Mm. Oh, right! I got you orange juice, too." He opens the mini bar and grabs a bottle. "Got three of them," he says, removing the cap and handing her the drink, "but I put them in there to keep them cool."

"Thanks." She accepts it with a smile and takes a sip. "And what about you? If I'm sick, and we're in this little thing all day and night, will you catch it?"

"Nah. Not me."

"'Kay, good." She pops a couple of chips into her mouth, moaning at the taste. "Oh, these are gorgeous. Did you try them already?"

He grabs one from his carton, tosses it into his mouth and gives an appreciative nod. They eat the rest of their meal in comfortable silence, watching the sky crack with lightning at the horizon. Once they're done, the Doctor gathers their empty containers and tucks them back into the bag. The rain starts pouring down, and he slings his arm around her, tugging her closer. She leans her head on his shoulder with a content sigh and they just sit, listening to the heavy drumming against the sides of the aircraft.

A long moment later, the Doctor breaks the silence and tells her more about Noah's Ark. The eccentric centillionaire and zoo owner Edwardium Goose closed down the five zoos he owned, terraformed a planet to be as similar to Earth as possible, and shipped the animals there. Ever since, he's spent his time and money adding more species.

"And over yonder," the Doctor says, pointing to their left, "close to Kabul, there's a black bear you lot won't see yet for centuries and centuries. I should…" Noticing her staring at him, he peers back at her with a half smile. "What?"

"What did you say?"

"What, all of it?"

"Yeah. I mean, no. No, just the last couple of sentences.

"Oh. 'And over yonder, close to Kabul, there's a black be'–"

"Yonder."

"Yes! Yonder. Nice word, don't you think? I should say it more often. Yonder," he says, grinning. "Yooooooonder."

* * *

_The Doctor yawned, then lay down and smiled at her. "I think I need to sleep first. But tomorrow! Tomorrow, Rose Tyler, I'm going to… What was I going to do?"_

"God, I don't remember. Let's just sleep."

"Yes, let us sleep in the bower over yonder. Yonderyonderyonder."

"It's not really yonder now, though, is it? Reckon it's rather, you know, here."

He snorts out a laugh. "You're so clever when I'm drunk."

"Oi! I'm always clever."

"Quite right."

"Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"Didn't you say something about...spooning?"

"I did! No to canoodling. Yes to spooning," he said, holding out his arms, wiggling his fingers. "C'mere."

She laughed. "You're lying on your back. D'you want me to crawl on top of you?"

He paused, mouth dropping open. "Eeer… Well. Maybe?"

"What?"

"Maybe that's not the best of ideas?" he said, eyebrows raised, and rolled over on his side. "Spooning. Spoooooooning. That's fun to say. Spoooooon. Let's spoon, under the moon, beware of the...dra-gooooon. Eh." He tilted his head to the side and grimaced. "Close enough."

"You look like a baboooon," she said, pushing out her lips, "when you say that."

He giggled and curled his arm around her, tugging her close. "And you look lovely. And other things I shouldn't say."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Like… Kissable. You look very, very kissable when you do that."

She looked at him through her lashes. "When I say 'baboooooon'."

"Mhm. Your lips look–" His eyes widened and he pressed his fingers to her mouth. "Shh, don't tell Rose I said that."

"I won't," she said, chuckling.

"Cheers." He gave her a peck on her temple. "That's dangerous enough. Good night, Rose."

"Night, Doctor."

* * *

"Rose?"

"Huh? What?" she says, stretching out with a yawn.

"You zoned out."

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." She smiles, butterflies whirling in her stomach at the memory, at the things he said. "Just remembered something."

"Yeah? What?"

"Doesn't matter. Uhm, I'm getting sleepy again. Think I'm gonna turn in. If that's all right with you? Won't you be bored? There must be a telly or something in this thing, yeah?"

"Oh, don't worry about me." The Doctor pulls out a toothbrush from his inner pocket, holding it out in front of her. "I got you this."

"Oh, you wonderful man. You got me a toothbrush!" She throws her arms around his neck for a tight hug. "Thanks!"

She heads to the loo and makes herself ready for bed. When she returns, she can't help but beam out a smile. The Doctor's reclined the backrest, fluffed up her pillow and spread out the blanket, making the seat look nice and comfy.

"Doctor? Is it, uhm, is it all right if I take off my trousers. It's not very comfortable sleeping in jeans."

"Oh. Yeah, I– Sure. Yep. I'll just…"

He turns his back to her and she removes her trousers, hoodie and bra, and slips under the blanket in only socks, knickers, and a top.

"What are you gonna do all night, then?" she asks him, and he turns back around, sitting down on the edge of the seat.

"Not sure. Maybe I'll read. I have a book in my pocket."

"Or you could sleep."

He drifts his eyes over her and the makeshift bed. "I could, but…" He shrugs, looking out over the stormy skies.

"You know that night?" She nudges him with her toe. "Uhm, when we got drunk."

"Oh. Eer, no, not really."

"Still not?"

"Well, I have very vague… I'm positive I was eaten by a dragon, which makes no sense. And that I had a rock up my bum, which makes even less sense, in the grand scheme of things, and… Singing. Hm… It's all just a fuzzy mess."

She bites her lip, gathering courage, and takes a deep breath. "You wanted to spoon with me," she says on the exhale, closing one eye and scrunching up her nose.

"I what?"

"Yeah. You wanted to spoon with me, but I slept on the beach. So I never got to spoon. And now I'm sick. Really sick. Look how sick I am." She coughs and he gives her a good-natured eyeroll. "I honestly think you should offer again, 'cause I bet you're tired too, and we only have this seat anyway, and it's raining. Oh, and I'm sick. Very sick."

"I see," he says, smirking.

"And I'm afraid of thunder and lightning. And heights!" She grins. "Terrified of heights, I am."

"Air travel, too, I bet?"

"Oh, yeah. And glass domes."

"Well…" He sighs, getting a faraway look in his eyes. "That's a lot of reasons," he says in a breathy voice.

He sits unmoving for a moment, and Rose's pulse quickens by the second. She swallows and opens her mouth, but before she's said anything, he turns to her. She holds her breath.

"Hard to say no to that, I suppose," he says, loosening the knot of his tie.

She nods, exhaling. "Yep."

"Well, then." He toes off his trainers and lets the tie drop to the floor. "Reckon I don't have much of a choice," he says in mock-exasperation.

"Nope," she says with a smile, holding up the blankets and scooting to the side to give him room, "you really don't."

* * *

**tbc**


	3. Lightning Strike

**Warning: **drunkenness; dubcon = 140 words of drunk sex.**  
beta: **resile  
**a/n:** I did a prompt meme and I've used different prompts for each chapter. This chapter was inspired by these words: _Lake + Dawn + Shield_

* * *

**SHIELDED FROM VIEW  
**_Chapter 3 - Lightning Strike_

* * *

Rose reaches over the Doctor, tucking them into the blanket, and snuggles back into her pillow with a happy sigh. "What?" she says, noticing him looking at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"You're facing me. I thought spooning– Aren't you supposed to face the other way?"

"I wanna talk for a bit. If that's all right with you?" She grins and pokes him in the chest. "Or do I smell like vomit?"

"You smell like mint, chips, and Rose."

"Oh. So...that's good, yeah?"

"Very good," he says, beaming out a smile that prompts her to do the same.

They just look at one another for a while, warmth blossoming in her chest, until their beaming starts easing into more tender smiles, and tension begins to build. She takes quiet, soft breaths through her mouth, so lost in the moment she doesn't notice how she moves closer until he clears his throat, sobering up both of them. He opens his mouth to say something, but she rushes to beat him to it.

"This day… Did you– I mean, we've spent the whole day here. But you only mentioned breakfast. Were you planning on staying the whole day?"

"No, but you seemed to enjoy it, so…" he says, shrugging one shoulder.

"Yeah… Is that– Uhm… Did _you_ enjoy it?"

He nods, eyes warm and sparkling in the dim light of the dashboard and the lightning outside.

"I did, too." She bites her lip and smiles, staring at the two undone buttons of his oxford. "'Cause we didn't really do anything. All day. We just talked. No running, no danger, just–"

"Well, you did vomit."

"Shut up," she says through a laugh, giving him a playful push to the chest. She keeps her hand there, over his left heart, and waits for him to react, but he stays still. "You know what I mean, though, right?" she says, eyes flickering up to his. "I, uhm, I like spending time with you. I mean, just you. Just you and me. Like this."

He considers her for a beat, keeping his face neutral. "Yeah?"

"Yes," she says, brushing her thumb over his sternum. His eyes widen and she lets her hand drop. "So, uhm, yeah. Thanks for today. It was really lovely."

She turns over on her other side, her whole body stiff, and counts three lightning strikes before she feels his hand graze her waist. He lets it rest for a few agonising seconds, but then he curls his arm around her waist and seeks out one of her hands with his. They clasp, and the tension rolls off her as she feels him relax. Her eyes drift shut, mouth curving into a smile. He mumbles something and slips his arm under the pillow; she lifts her head to help him, dropping it back down once he's settled.

She lets out a content sigh and cuddles closer until he catches on and molds his body along hers. His clothes feel cool against her bare legs and the small of her back where her top has ridden up. They've never lain close like this, with her barely dressed and him pressing into her, and she defeats the urge to elicit a reaction from him by rolling her hips. Although, she can't slow down her racing heart, nor stop a shiver running from the top of her head down to her toes when he snuggles his face into her hair and his chest expands with a deep breath as though he savours her scent.

"Rose?" He grabs her upper arm and tugs her to lie on her back, leaning over her and inspecting her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Huh?"

"Your pulse is racing, your breaths are shallow, you're shivering, and you look flushed." He presses his wrist against her forehead. "Are you running a fever?"

"Oh, my god," she says, rolling her eyes. She releases a sharp breath, flings the blanket aside to cool down, and plucks his arm off her forehead, dropping it on her stomach. "You're so daft sometimes."

"What?"

"I feel fine. I'm not sick. I woke up too early, ate too much. That's all."

"But–"

"Doctor, _think_. Isn't there another reason why my body would react like that?"

"What do– Oh. Ooh. You mean…?" he says, tilting his chin down and raising his eyebrows.

She rests her hand over his, watching their fingers intertwine. "Yeah," she says, daring herself to look back at him after a second of hesitation.

His lips twitch, as though he's fighting a smile. "Oh."

She rolls back on her side to face him and, grabbing his hand, wraps his arm around her waist. She arches her back, pushing her torso into his, and snakes one of her legs between his. He watches her, body still, no breath puffing from his lips, but his fingertips press into her back, securing her to him, so she reaches up and cups his cheek. Giving him a warm smile, she lets her gaze soften, lets her feelings shine through. His lashes flutter, head moving in an imperceptible shake, and he exhales as the corners of his mouth curl up.

She runs her fingernails over his sideburn, her smile growing wider when his eyes start to drift shut, but they fly open right away, as though he's catching himself, and she stills. Though, his dazed look encourages her to move forward and cross the lines that have always stopped her in the past. She parts her lips, closes her eyes and, when their noses bump, angles her head to capture his mouth. His breath hitches. She stops.

"Rose?" he whispers, breath hot on her lips.

"Yeah?"

"What–" He swallows. "What about Mickey?"

"Huh? What? What _about_ Mickey?"

"I mean… Were you two…? Before, er, well, before he left. Were you..."

"What? No. Why would–"

"He _just_ left. It's been just over two months. I don't want you to–"

"Doctor," she pulls back to look him in the eye, "I've not been with Mickey – or anyone, for that matter – since before I met you. If you think this is a rebound thing or something… It's not."

He nods, but doesn't look convinced.

"Oh, Doctor. I've fancied you for ages, all right? No. Not fancied." She slides her hand down to his chest, pressing her palm against him. "It's more than that. Bigger than that. You must know that, right?"

His body feels stiff, his hearts are pounding under her hand, and he regards her with guarded eyes under knitted brows. She holds his gaze, lets him drink his fill, until the drawn-out moment ends with him melting into her and dipping his mouth to meet hers. She whimpers, moving her hand to his back and clutching him closer to her. The thrumming of the rain, the whips and cracks of lightning, rumbling of thunder, and humming from anchor beam fade as her senses hone in on them: their ragged breaths, the soft, wet noises of lips tasting lips, tongues swiping, and the rustle of clothing as they move together.

His hand drifts up to the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair; hers wanders down to the waistband of his trousers, tugging out his shirt tails until she can slide her hand under the soft cotton and onto softer skin. She rakes her nails over the small of his back, along his spine, smiling into the kiss when she feels his skin prickle. She shifts her hand to his front, dipping under his shirt, fingers grazing over his stomach until she can play with the hair on his chest.

His body heats up under her touch and she kicks off the corner of the blanket still covering their legs, swinging her right over his hip. He ruts against her and she moans, rutting right back, and he goes rigid.

She sucks her tongue back into her mouth, pressing her lips together as she puts a little distance between them.

"What's up?" she says, removing her hand and resting it on his upper arm.

"We should stop."

"Okay...?"

"You're sick and I really–"

"No, I'm not." She smiles, ruffling his hair. "I feel amazing. Brilliant. Fantastic, even."

He quirks an eyebrow. "Weren't you tired?"

"Yeah, well..." She grins, tongue peeking out. "I got distracted and forgot."

"Either way," he brushes his knuckles over her cheek, "we should wait until we know for sure."

"Doctor, if you don't _want_ to, just say so, all right? If it's too soon, then that's fine. I just want you to be honest with me."

"I am. I want to, Rose. Trust me – I really want to – but your health is more important to me than this."

"Oh, all right. Suppose it's for the best anyway," she says with a shrug. "S'not like we have protection."

"I'd be very surprised if we needed that. It's not very likely that we're compatible. Impossible, even. Well, in that sense. Anyway, you should sleep."

"Yeah. Doctor, I…" A smile spreads on her face and she cradles the back of his head, bringing his mouth to hers for a deep kiss. "Night," she whispers and gives him another kiss before turning around and settling into spooning position.

"Night," he says, snuggling close.

"Doctor? D'you think you'll ever remember that night?"

"It's been a month and a half, Rose. I think I would've remembered by now."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She watches the storm around them for a while whilst her body grows heavy and her mind quiets. "It's a shame, though," she mumbles, half-asleep.

"Hm?"

"Would've been quite the first time, yeah? Shagging in a tiny aircraft midair in the middle of a storm."

"Yes, I suppose it would."

"We'll do better."

He makes a soft, happy noise in the back of his throat, and presses his lips to her temple. "Yes. We will."

* * *

**.**

* * *

Rose's body moves of its own accord before she has fully woken up, tumbling to stand and stumbling into the loo, where she drops down on her knees, lifts the toilet seat and hurls. She flushes and grips the sink to pull herself up, but strong hands close around her ribcage and lift her up on her feet. The Doctor turns on the tap, ice cold water flowing into a cup he holds under the stream. She casts a glance in the mirror, grimacing at her ashen face.

"Never mind. Suppose I am sick, then."

"Drink this."

He hands her the cup and grabs a couple of paper towels, wetting them. After rinsing her mouth, she sits down on the toilet, staring in front of her without seeing as he dabs her forehead. Inhaling, she blinks a few times to focus her gaze, and lets her eyes wander across the grey, drizzling clouds.

"What time is it?"

"It's just before sunrise. Around half past five."

"Oh. Storm's practically over already. Didn't you say ten?"

"Yeah, well. We're lucky. Few miles that way," he says, pointing at a darker sky farther ahead, "it's still going on. How are you feeling? D'you need to lie down?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I do."

He leans over and scoops her up in his arms, carrying her the six steps between the loo and the seat. He lays her down and pulls the blanket over her, sitting down on the edge by the steering wheel.

"You shouldn't brush your teeth right after, not good for your enamel, but I have more gum."

"Yeah. Thanks."

He hands her a stick over his shoulder and starts pressing buttons on the dashboard. "I'll pilot us to a pancake place right by Loktak Lake. We can… We'll eat, watch the sunrise. It's really beautiful. I think you'd want to see it. Anyway, then we need to head back. Not just because of you, but the rain will start again in a few hours. Or so they say. Suppose I should've checked the forecast before we–"

"That's not our way, though," she says, chewing on her gum.

"No, but you're not usually feeling unwell."

She scoots closer and curls around him, resting her head in his lap. "Please don't think like that. I've had a lovely time. And last night… I wouldn't trade that for anything. I'm glad we got caught in a storm." She grins and pokes him in the ribs. "Reckon we needed to be trapped in a tiny aircraft to finally get somewhere."

He clenches his jaw and nods, checking the instruments, pushing three buttons and pulling one lever, turning the wheel to the right. She sighs and sits up, keeping space between them, and watches him bring back the keyboard. His fingers fly over it, letters popping up on the display over by his side.

"You regret it, don't you," she says and his hands still for a second, but then he starts typing again. She rubs her eyes, throat feeling thick, and she swallows. "That's fine. That's okay. We can just forget it."

She lies back down on her side of the seat, fighting back tears, but then she feels him curl up behind her and she breathes out in relief.

"I'm just worried, Rose," he says, stroking her arm. "I've placed our order. They'll message us when it's done. I chose plain with chocolate syrup for me, and blueberry with a side of scrambled eggs for you. That all right?"

"Yeah. Perfect. Thanks. We should go straight back, though. Eat on the way."

"I wanted you to see the sunrise."

"We can come back."

He sighs. "I suppose…"

"And…" She licks her lips, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. "You don't regret it, then?"

He leans his chin on her shoulder. "I'm just worried, Rose. It's– Oh, look at that." He sits up, scrambling with the keyboard. "Did you want that chocolate?"

She flips around, grinning when she sees a large, goose-shaped aircraft gliding across the darker area of the sky. "Yeah-yeah-yeah! Wow! Can't believe our luck! He's a brave one, though. Flying through the storm."

"Oh, The Mighty Goose is equipped with quite strong shields, far too expensive to put in every craft. Hold on." Typing with his left hand, he sticks his right into his pocket and pulls out a pair of binoculars. "If you use these I think you can see the shields."

"Cheers," she says, lifting them to her eyes and searching the sky for the aircraft. She breathes out when she finds it, wowed by the translucent pearly shimmer surrounding it and how the water slides off it with ease. "Like water off a _goose's_ back, yeah?" she says, handing him the binoculars.

He gives her a crooked smile. "Quite. There. I've messaged the head quarters and they've confirmed that we indeed are within viewing distance of The Mighty Goose, and we can pick up or chocolate when we return our craft."

"Great!"

"Yeah… The odds of this happening." He smiles and quirks an eyebrow. "Suppose it wasn't a wild goose–" A beeping coming from the dashboard cuts him off and he sits up, grabbing the steering wheel. "Right. Let's pick up that food."

* * *

**.**

* * *

Rose hops up on the exam table in the infirmary, swinging her legs and watching the Doctor search through a drawer. In the corner next to him stands a screen next to a wardrobe full of blankets, pillows, and patient gowns. She's never used one herself, but Jack jumped at the chance when he'd hurt his knee and the Doctor was going to take a look at it. Not that Jack bothered to change behind the screen.

"Uhm, d'you need me to undress?" she asks. "You know, wear a gown or something."

"Hm?" The Doctor looks at her over his shoulder, peering at her over the rim of his glasses. "Oh. Nope."

He grabs something that looks like a digital pedometer and walks over to her, features schooled into a professional mask that creates palpable distance between them.

"You got syrup on your tie," she says with a nervous chuckle.

He glances down at his chest and scoops up the dollop, sticking his finger into his mouth. He sucks at it, cheeks hollowing, and Rose's chest tightens, eyes locked on his mouth. 

* * *

_Rose tugged the Doctor's mouth to her breast, whimpering when he sucked at her nipple through the thin cotton of her dress. He dipped his hand under the waistband of her knickers and ghosted over her folds, sliding two fingers into her and pumping. She moaned, rocking her hips to make him speed up, but he pulled out his fingers and held his hand in front of him. It glistened in the moonlight. He growled, smiling, and sucked his fingers into his mouth._

"Mmm," he said, eyes drifting shut, "you're delicious. I want to taste you properly."

"Next time," she said, fumbling with the fastenings of his trousers. "I need you. Now_."_

He pouted. "You're evil, you are. If you only knew what you taste like, you wouldn't rush this."

She grinned. "What makes you think I don't?" 

* * *

Rose clasps a hand over her mouth, sucking in a sharp breath. She holds it for a couple of seconds, then sags as it whooshes out of her. Her breathing starts up in staccato, body trembling, eyes losing focus.

"Rose?" The Doctor touches her arm, sitting down on a stool in front of her. "Rose, are you all right?"

She shakes her head.

"What's the matter?"

"I… I'm p–" Her voice fails her and she grabs his hand, squeezing it for support. "I'm pregnant, aren't I?"

He turns her hand over, extending one of her curled fingers. "You're about to find out." He moves the device to her fingertip. "I'll take a blood sample. You'll barely feel it."

"I don't understand. We only did it once!"

He winces, then shrugs one shoulder, eyes blank. "Once is all it takes. Ready?"

"No."

"Okay. We can wait a little while."

"No. Just-just do it."

He nods and she closes her eyes, frowning at the split second of pain as the needle penetrates her skin. The machine beeps and the Doctor stands up, walking away from her. Each step echoes in the heavy silence in the room and she clutches at the edge of the table, steeling herself for the result. She hears rustling, a drawer opening and closing, and a sigh so deep her heart clenches.

"It's positive."

"No. No, I can't be. It's wrong. Do it again."

"I'm sorry, Rose. There's–" He clears his throat. "I'll try to get a message through the void, but it's not very likely that I'll succeed."

She opens her eyes, face scrunched up in confusion. "What?"

"For, ehm, for Mickey."

She gawks at the Doctor for several seconds, but then her lips starts to twitch, curling into a smile, and laughter bubbles up from her stomach. Giggling so hard she falls to the side on the exam table, she feels tears forming in her eyes, and her muscles, already sore from her vomiting, beginning to ache. She senses the Doctor's eyes on her and tries to calm down, waving her hands in front of her face and blinking her squeezed-shut eyes open. He's staring at her, brow furrowed, mouth forming a thin line.

"When I said that you were daft, yeah, I was wrong. You're a bloody idiot."

"What?"

"Doctor," she says, pushing herself up to sit, "I think you might need to sit down."

"I'm fine."

"Okay. I don't know how to tell you this. Uhm…" She fiddles with her earring and licks her lips, breathing out in a slow, steady stream. "A while back, you and me got kinda drunk, you know what I mean?"

His face slackens and he stares at her unblinking, eyes drifting down to her stomach before returning to her face. His bottom lip moves as though he's fighting to form words, but nothing comes out, and her eyes start to sting.

"I've only been with you," she says, a tear falling down her cheek. She wipes it off and sniffles. "I'm sorry."

He slumps against the counter, head lolling all the way back. "I thought that was a dream," he says in a breathy voice, staring at the ceiling. "It's not like it's my first nocturnal emiss–" He shuts his mouth with a click and starts moving around the room, picking up a bottle, and a sleek, oblong, handheld device, and pushing a button to make a screen descend from the ceiling.

"Lie back, please, and lift up your shirt and scoot down your trousers."

She complies, worrying her lip as she watches him squirt a glob of turquoise gel beneath her belly button. He flicks a switch on the device and presses it against her stomach. A humming fills the room as he moves the device, and she cranes her neck to watch the screen, but he's shielding her view. She stays patient and lets him do what he needs to do, heart pounding in her chest and fingers clenched hard to stop her from fidgeting.

After several long seconds, he freezes and draws in a shuddering breath, dropping the device on her stomach. She reaches out to touch him, to calm him, but he's rushing out of the room before she has as much as grazed his sleeve.

She watches the door close behind him and sighs, shaking her head. He'll be back. She picks up the device, moving it around as she watches the screen for any sign of life. She doesn't remember where he held it when he reacted, and she grows frustrated with her fruitless efforts. Maybe she has to press a button of some sort? She turns it over in her hands, looking for a clue, when the door slams open and the Doctor darts to the table. He leans over and, cupping her cheeks, presses his lips to hers. She whimpers and loops her free arm around his neck, and they kiss for a long moment before he breaks free and leans his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I just– I– This– I don't– I… Rose, I..."

"Shhh." She strokes his back. "S'all right. You freaked out a little, that's all."

He nods, then snuggles his face into the crook of her neck, resting there for a while. She pets his back and scratches his neck, murmuring nonsense into his ear, soothing him with her tone rather than the right words. He breathes her in, exhaling with a hum, and straightens.

"Did you see?" he asks.

"No, you were in my way."

"Oh. Sorry. I'll-I'll–" He hooks his foot around one of the stool legs, pushing it closer to him, and sits down. He grabs the device and places it against her stomach. "Let me try again. Can you see the screen?"

"Yeah. But I thought… It's early, yeah?"

"Six weeks. Or, I suppose I should say eight weeks, since most people from your time count from the last menstrual period and not the actual date of conception."

"Yeah? When cousin Mo had her baby, she had a scan at seven weeks and they had to go through," she gestures at her crotch, "you know."

"Well, I have more advanced equipment."

"Yeah, 'course. Sorry. Dunno. I'm nervous. Not thinking straight and–" She pauses when she notices his hand tremble a little, how tense his shoulders look. "Doctor, are you all right?"

"Not even a little." He sighs, rubbing his face with his other hand. "This shouldn't even be possible. That's why I… Well, even if I did remember, I wouldn't have thought–"

"So instead you thought I'd shagged Mickey?"

"You were upset after Sarah and France. And-and rightly so. You two seemed– I thought– This shouldn't be _possible_, Rose."

The device lands on the right spot and, as the proof stares her right in the face, she gasps, shaking her head in disbelief. "Don't think Casper the friendly ghost agrees with you."

"What?"

She smiles, nodding at the screen. "It looks like Casper the friendly ghost. Just a little blob."

"Oh. Yeah." He lets out a breathy chuckle. "Suppose it does."

"This feels so weird. I thought… Dunno. Always in films it's like this big moment. Reckoned it would feel _more_, do you know what I mean? But it's just a scan." She glances down at her stomach. "Doesn't really feel real."

He shrugs, giving her a weak smile that doesn't reach his tired eyes.

"Doctor?" She looks at the blob, scrambling for the Doctor's hand and weaving their fingers together. "What are we gonna do?"

* * *

**tbc**


	4. A Fork in the Road

**Warning: **this whole chapter deals with what they're going to do (= keep the baby or not). Althought they talk a lot about it, there's nothing detailed or clinical discussed, and they decide to keep it.**  
beta: **resile**  
**

* * *

**SHIELDED FROM VIEW  
**_Chapter 4 - A Fork in the Road_

* * *

"Doctor?" Rose looks at the blob, scrambling for the Doctor's hand and weaving their fingers together. "What are we gonna do?"

"That's…" He exhales. "That's up to you."

"What? Why?"

"Whatever you wanna do, Rose. I'll support you."

"But– What? No. It's yours, too. What do _you_ want?"

"Doesn't matter. It's your body and-and ultimately your choice. I don't want to influence you."

"But that's not fair! We're in this together. I want-I want to talk about this. Talk it through. I need to, Doctor. I can't make this decision on my own!"

He releases her hand, removes the device, and wipes her stomach clean with a couple of tissues, getting up on his feet with a sigh and walking over to the counter. She sits up on the table, clasping her hands in her lap, and waits whilst he cleans the device and puts it back in a drawer. Placing his hands on the counter, he slouches forward with shoulders rounded and his head hanging. He stands there for a minute before he takes a deep breath and begins to talk.

"I don't know what I want. I only know what's sensible."

"Yeah, so do I. Doesn't mean that's what I want."

"So you want to keep it, then?"

"No," she says, and his head jerks up, "but I don't want to remove it, either. I just– Suppose I just want to turn back time and tell us to use a bloody condom." She snorts and shakes her head. "You don't happen to have a time machine, do you?"

He turns around, lips curved into a tight smile, brow furrowed. "We can't do that."

"Yeah, I know."

They slip into a silence neither comfortable nor strained. Time ceases to exist. She only sits, staring into nothing as countless of thoughts whirl around in her mind until they tangle into a heap too complicated to unravel.

A crunching sound brings her back to the present when the paper-covered cushion on the exam table dips under the Doctor's weight.

"Hi," she says, voice faint.

He curls his arm around her back and presses his lips against her temple. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know."

"Didn't you notice that you were late?"

"What? Oh. Yeah. But it's never been regular since I started travelling with you. Or, come to think of it, it has. Lately. Since-since since Christmas. Since you changed. It has. But that's, what, four months? I didn't really think anything of it. Besides, I didn't remember us shagging, anyway, so I didn't even suspect."

"Oh? But you knew. You said– Right before I took the test, you said…"

"Yeah. You did something that triggered a memory."

"What?"

"Uhm…" She smiles and shifts towards him to hide her burning face in the crook of his neck. "God, you knocked me up and I can't even tell you that you," she expels a sharp breath, "lickedmytasteoffyourfingers."

"So…" he says on an exhale. "When I said that I'd licked a bush…"

Rose bursts out laughing, clinging to him, and he joins in until they're out of breath, only to wheeze in new air and start again. When the laughter subsides enough for her to realise that his nose presses into her cheek and his breaths hit the corner of her mouth, she angles her head. Lips find lips, arms slide around bodies, and she leans backwards, tugging him down with of her. He shifts their position until she's cradling him between her thighs, and he crushes her with his weight in a way that makes her stomach swoop from anticipation. Moaning, she lifts her hips and ruts against him, and he responds with a nip on her bottom lip and a solid thrust that pushes the seam of her fly right into her clit.

"Oh, _fuck_!" She places her hands on his chest and pushes up. "Stop."

He scrambles back, running his fingers through his hair. His eyes dance around the room and he pants through parted, swollen lips, a rosy flush colouring his cheeks.

She bites her lip, smiling. "Blimey, you're gorgeous."

"Oh." He grins. "Oh! So…?"

"I need to talk. First. Before we, uhm, do...stuff. Shag. Before we shag." She nods. "We've already done it. You knocked me up. I should be able to say shag. Shag. Shagshagshag."

"Fuckfuckfuck," he says, eyes losing focus and brows drawing together. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Hold on. Something…" He gestures at his temples. "I can't quite…"

"You remember? I said that! I said 'fuckfuckfuck'."

"Huh. It's too fuzzy. Blasted sumbulas."

"So, we can't go back and warn us. But can we go back and watch, then?"

His eyebrows fly high on his forehead and he inclines his head in her direction. "Sorry?"

"Well," she says with a shrug, "reckon we should, since neither of us really remember it well. Could probably jostle our memory, yeah?"

He lets out a breathy chuckle, head ducked. "Yeah… In my dream we were in my bedroom, so I assumed… Well, I could feel that my body had…" He shrugs and crosses his arms over his chest, sticking his hands under his armpits.

"Yeah?" She grins. "Been having wet dreams about me, Doctor?"

His cheeks turn pink and he keeps his eyes locked on his Chucks. She hops off the table, buttons her trousers, and moves over to him, nudging her way in between his legs and linking her arms around his waist.

"Doctor, I think we should be able to talk about sex, yeah?"

"Yeah, but–" He clears his throat. "It still feels like…"

"Like it's new?"

"Mm."

"And you're...a bit shy?"

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I'd like to _experience_ you, us, _this_," he says, grabbing her hips for emphasis, "before I watch it."

"Yeah. So, what about retracing our steps, then? Can't we go there, like, a week after? Visit the village, go to the meadow, spend the night, and then buy some more of that candy." She scrunched up her nose. "That apparently tastes like my bits."

He laughs. "Well. I only felt faint traces of _something_ delicious."

"Delicious, eh?"

"Can't believe I finally got to do that and I can't even remember it. That-that is a great injustice, Rose Tyler."

"You didn't, actually."

He pulls back, frowning. "What?"

She giggles and tugs him back by his tie. "I was a bit impatient. Just a little bit. So, I said 'next time'."

"I should bloody well hope so!"

She grins, tongue poking out between her teeth. "So there will be a next time, then?"

"Wasn't there almost one just now?" he asks, gesturing at the head side of the exam table with one hand, scratching his neck with the other.

"Yeah, but we need to talk first."

"Right. Talking. That's good. Sensible. The right thing to do. I can talk. Talking Man. That's me. The Talker. The man with the unstoppable gob, blurting out words and gobbling them right up again. Just like the ordslukare on Bokstav. Did I ever tell you about that planet? They _literally_ eat words. And I actually mean literally, unlike most people who say literally and really mean metaphorically. So you have to be really careful about what you say there. If someone's allergic to roses, you can't actually say the word 'rose' in their presence because–"

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Yep!"

"I need to know a few things, okay?"

He nods.

"What'll happen if we keep it?"

"Eeer, well," he says, eyes directed at the ceiling, "you'll form a bond with the, ehm, the-the...around, oh dunno, week fifteen? Maybe sixteen. So, you'll have to decide before then. Or you don't _have_ to, but I recommend it because an abortion would be very painful for you, since it would sever that bond, and… Ehm, well, if you keep it, that was the question, wasn't it? If you keep it, you'll probably be pregnant a little bit longer than normal. Twelve months at the most, but–"

"What the fuck?"

"Yeah… It'll be the same size at birth, though, as a human baby, so… And I'd deliver the baby, obviously, and-and, you know, eeer, monitor the whole pregnancy, make sure you're both doing well and–"

"No, Doctor. That's not what I meant. I mean, yeah, I wanna know that, too. 'Course I do. But I meant between you and me. Will we be together? Properly."

"You mean romantically?"

"Yeah."

"Well, yeah," he says with a shrug. "Thought that was fairly obvious."

"Sometimes it needs saying, Doctor," she says, smoothing out the lapels of his suit jacket. "Don't wanna assume that we're gonna be a family, and then stand there like a fool when things get too domestic for you, all right?"

"Oh. No. I'll-I'll– Yeah. We'll be a, ehm, a family."

She slides her hands up to cup his cheek. "How much do you wanna run away right now?"

He expels a sharp breath. "A lot. But," he squeezes her waist, "this helps. And… Rose, I would _never_ leave you to raise an alien baby on your own, let alone leave my own child."

She nods and links her arms around his neck. "And what happens if I don't keep it? Will you-will you resent me?"

"No. Absolutely not."

"And we'll still be together?"

He nods, brushing the tips of their noses together with each movement, then angles his head and kisses her on the mouth. "I can't go back now, Rose. Can't pretend this didn't happen."

"Yeah?"

He hums and kisses her again, slow and deep this time until she feels a sweet twinge in the pit of her stomach, and she pulls free. Breathing out a soft moan, she ruffles his hair and kisses the corner of his mouth.

"What did you think of my idea, then? About retracing our steps. Dunno. It's like we've been given a do-over, you know what I mean? Like, we can't remember our first time, so are we really gonna shag in the infirmary or are we gonna make it count?"

"Oooh, you mean we'll shag in the bower?"

"Yeah. Is that weird?"

"No. No, I quite like it. It was a lovely bower, after all. Very romantic."

"Yeah…" She grins. "You care about that?"

"Not particularly," he says, inching his fingers under the waistband of her jeans, "but I thought maybe you did."

"Hm… Maybe a little bit. Now that we've been given a second chance and all." He worms his hands all the way down to cup her bum in a firm grip, and she grins. "Are you fondling my arse right now?"

"Gotta come with some perks, this relationship lark, hm?"

She shakes her head, smiling. "I've seen the world burn, the last human being nothing but a bit of bitchy skin, cat people, werewolves, bog monsters in people suits, a big head in a jar, right, but this, you grabbing my arse and kissing me and being my boyfriend and there's life growing inside me and-and-and–" Her smile dies and she sags forward, heart constricting. "And we shouldn't keep it, should we?"

"No," he says, pulling her in closer. "No, we shouldn't."

"'Cause this life and babies… It's just not– It won't work, will it? Everything would change, and the universe would suffer. Just 'cause we want a baby." She breathes out a shuddering breath, blinking away the tears springing forth. "Okay. No need to drag this out. Gimme– What is it? Is it a pill? Surgery?"

"Are you sure? Don't you wanna think about it?"

"No. Just get it over with. I don't want it inside me if-if… Doctor, just-just do it."

"Okay, but… It will be surgical and–" He swallows. "I don't– I-I, I don't want to perform it, so–"

"Oh, my god, I'm sorry," she says, stroking his chest. "'Course you don't. I'm sorry."

"That's all right." He gives her a strained smile, rubbing her arms. "I'll have to make an appointment. But you won't have to wait, since we have a time machine and...yeah."

"Yeah."

"Okay." He kisses her before nudging her aside and sliding down on the floor. "I'll go use the phone in the console room. Meet me in the galley? Reckon it's time for you to get something to eat and maybe a kip." He brushes his knuckles over her cheek. "You look tired."

"Yeah. Thanks. That sounds good. I'll-I'll go put on the kettle."

They walk to the corridor hand-in-hand, but he heads off to the left whilst she turns right and her chest tightens with each step until it feels as though she can't breathe. She whimpers, whirls around and rushes after the Doctor, reaching him just as he grips the phone.

She yanks his arm back. "No!"

"What?" he asks, eyes round and glossy.

"I changed my mind."

"Oh? So you want to…?"

"No! Yes? No. Ugh, I don't know. I need to think. It's– I– Gah!"

He brushes her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Then think. There's still a lot of time, Rose."

"Yeah, but… Not now, all right? 'Cause I _am_ tired, and I just don't have the energy right now and when I think about it I just feel like crying. So can we not? Is that all right?"

"Of course. Food and a kip, then?"

"Yeah. Food, a kip. More food. Telly. Chocolate! Oh, my god, I really want that chocolate. And then cuddle and sleep. Sound good?"

"Yeah." He smiles and nods, slinging his arm around her shoulder and starting to walk to the galley. "I'll grab a few blocks of chocolate and make you chocolate chip pancakes. How's that?"

"Oh, my god. _Yes_. I think I'm drooling a little bit," she says, grinning when he chuckles. "Doctor? When I take a kip. Will you join me?"

"If you want."

"Yeah, I do. And...tonight. Are we gonna sleep in the same room?"

He nods. "I'd like that. Mine or yours?"

"Mine."

He drops a kiss to the top of her head. "Yours it is."

* * *

**.**

* * *

"I think," Rose says the next morning, sitting in front of her vanity and brushing her hair whilst watching through the mirror how the Doctor buttons up his shirt and slides on his tie, "I think I wanna go see mum. Yeah. I wanna talk to mum."

He wrinkles his nose, tuts and lets out a whining noise. "She's just gonna slap me, Rose. Can't we wait until after the baby's born? She won't slap me if we come out of the TARDIS with a baby. She'll probably not even notice that I'm there."

Rose's mouth drops open and she blinks, but quickly schools her features before he notices her reaction to what slipped out of him.

"We could give her a box of chocolates," she says. "How many boxes did we get, anyway?"

"Forty."

"Yeah, well," she says with a chuckle, "then I think we could give her a couple, yeah?"

He strokes his cheek. "I think that's for the best, yes."

"I don't think she'll be mad, Doctor."

"No? Your alien, much older – practically _ancient_ – best mate got you drunk, shagged you in a meadow, knocked you up and doesn't even remember it! I'm sure she'll be _delighted_."

Rose puts down her brush and turns around. "We don't have to tell her that part. Just, you know, that I'm a bit pregnant."

He smiles, shaking his head. "Right. Just a bit." Furrowing his brow, he hums and rubs his jaw. "I should look that up, come to think of it. Would've done it sooner, but didn't want to leave you last night after you fell asleep. In case you needed me."

"Does it take long?"

"Nah. I have your blood, the scan, myself… Thirty minutes, maybe."

"Well, do it now, then. I'll go make breakfast, so we don't have to rely on mum's cooking to get full."

He peers at her over the rim of his glasses. "Really? You? Cooking breakfast? Not only will it be over-cooked and under-seasoned, but you'll probably set the galley on fire when the smell makes you nauseated and you have to rush to the loo."

She grins. "Never said 'cook', did I? I'm gonna pour you a bowl of Weetabix, make you some tea and butter you a scone."

"Good enough for me." He loops his arms around her back and lifts her to her feet, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her until she feels weak in the knees.

"Mm, can't wait to go back to the bower," she mumbles against his lips. "But I wanna see mum first."

He shudders. "Please don't talk about Jackie Tyler whilst we're snogging. Or other things. That's very important, Rose. Remember that."

She snorts out a laugh. "Yeah. Promise. Now, get," she says, moving behind him and slapping his bum, "do your science thing."

* * *

**.**

* * *

"Ready?" Rose smiles at the Doctor and adjusts his tie with one hand, keeping the other on the door handle.

"Nope."

"You don't have to come, Doctor. I'll talk to her myself. And I'll explain the science stuff and how Bad Wolf made us compatible if she asks, 'cause you know she won't have the patience to listen to you when you start rambling."

"Does she even know about Bad Wolf?"

"Yeah. Some of it. Not, you know, that I almost died and that. Don't think she'd like that very much."

He chuckles. "Nah. I'm coming. That's the right thing to do, isn't it? Besides, gotta take care of you. When you're not vomiting, you're screaming for food or falling asleep at the drop of a hat."

"You're so sweet." She cups his cheek, brushing her fingertips over his sideburn. "You're handling this really well. A lot better than I thought you would."

"Well. I, ehm, well, I suppose, eeer..." He shrugs. "Oh, and I brought this," he says, pulling a disc out of his pocket and sticking it into the front pocket of her hoodie. "It'll work on your mum's DVD player. It's the, ehm, the-the scan." He rubs his neck, mouth working for a second. "Eeer, they usually want that, right? The-the grandparents. Want to see the, ehm… Well," he says, eyes directed upwards, "if we keep it. Suppose she wouldn't want to see it if… Ooh, I didn't think of that. Maybe that was a bad idea. Was that a bad idea?"

Rose smiles, heart fluttering in her chest. "Doctor, I–"

The door flings open and they jump back with a yelp.

"How bloody long are you gonna stand out here, then?" Jackie says, hands on her hips. "D'you think I can't hear you out here whispering?"

"Uhm, what did you hear?" Rose asks, playing with her hoop earring.

Jackie narrows her eyes. "Nothing. Just the box and then two nutters standing outside my door nattering, and I put two and two together. Why? Got secrets, then?"

"No," Rose says, shaking her head, and glances at the Doctor, who stands with his back straight wearing a manic grin. "Not as such…"

"Mhm. Well, come in, then. Or are we eating in the stairwell?" Jackie grabs them by their sleeves and tugs them inside, closing the door behind them and ushering them into the kitchen. "Glad you phoned this time before you showed up, I am. Already set the table and cooked breakfast. Or did you already have breakfast?"

"No, that's–" Rose's stomach flips when she steps into a miasma of fried bacon and sausages. "Oh, god," she says, then adds when she sees her mum's curious look, "I need to wee!"

Rose turns on her heel and rushes to the loo, managing to close the door and lock it before dropping on her knees and heaving into the toilet. She sighs, wipes her forehead with her sleeve and gets up, rinsing her mouth, washing her face and cleaning up after herself. When she comes back to the kitchen, her mum is already sitting by the table with her nose in a box of chocolates, but the Doctor hovers by the door and wraps his arms around her right away.

"Are you all right?" he whispers.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She leans her head against his chest with a hum, nosing him to fill her lungs with his scent. "Just needed to use the loo."

"You were in a hurry," Jackie says, popping a chocolate into her mouth before putting the box aside. "Don't you have loos in that ship?"

"No, we do. I just forgot to go before we, uhm, left."

Jackie shakes her head. "Just like when you were little and we borrowed Bev's car to go visit your granddad. Always had to stop in the middle of nowhere so you could go in a ditch or something. How d'you even save the world with that one? Does she say to the baddie 'oh, excuse me. I forgot to use the loo before we left the TARDIS. Can I use your toilet, please?'"

Jackie lets out a delighted giggle and chops off the top of her boiled egg, dipping a bit of her toast into the yolk. The bread soaks up the liquid, a droplet falling from the edge and hitting her plate as she brings the food to her mouth. Rose licks her lips, stomach growling. She grabs an egg and a knife, but her body screams at her for something else. Something with a bit of acidity.

"Mum, d'you have mayonnaise?"

"No, I'm all out. Sorry, sweetheart."

"God, I could _murder_ an egg mayo sandwich. With a bit of mustard. Oooh, and caramelised onions."

"I'll run down to the shop," the Doctor says, stroking her arm.

"Thanks. And orange juice, yeah?"

"Yep!" he says, rushing towards the door. "I'll be right back!"

Rose sits down and starts preparing her egg for something to munch on whilst she waits for the Doctor. Her mum puts down her toast and clears her throat, waiting for Rose to look at her before speaking.

"So, you're pregnant, then?"

"Uhm…" She swallows, a flush hitting her cheeks "Yeah."

"Reckoned as much. Is that why you're here? You were coming to tell me?"

"Yeah. No. No, I, uhm, I need advice."

Jackie nods. "Didn't think you looked very happy. You've not decided?"

"No. I mean, we both know we shouldn't. And I don't really want to. But, dunno, at the same time… I kinda do."

Jackie wraps her fingers around her large, pink teacup and brings it to her mouth. "I had an abortion when you were ten."

"Really? You never told me that."

"Not exactly something you tell your ten year old, is it?"

"No, suppose not. Do you-do you regret it?"

"No. Never have. Didn't want another baby. And even if I did… I couldn't afford one, could I? And the father..." She huffs. "Oh, he was good for nothing, he was. Didn't even bring him home to meet you. So why on Earth would I have his baby? No, I did what I had to and it was the right thing to do."

"Yeah…" Rose nods, shrinking in her seat and feeling her eyes prickle. "Yeah, you're right."

"Oh, sweetheart," Jackie says, reaching across the table and taking Rose's hand. "Never said it's right for you, though, did I?" She sighs and gives Rose a squeeze. "I promised myself I'd never tell you this, but… Yeah. It's time," Jackie says, nodding. "Pete and me didn't exactly have a stable life, what with all his daft schemes and… Well, we'd decided that we should wait with starting a family until we had a better home and better jobs and, well, a better life, I suppose. And then I got pregnant. And we knew what we _should_ do, but…

"We talked it through, and I was so scared, I was, but Pete really wanted to keep you, and that helped. 'Cause I really wanted you as well, and–" She sniffles and wipes her glossy eyes, chuckling. "I'm sorry. Just a little emotional, thinking about it. And I never regretted it. Never." She smiles through her tears. "It was hard sometimes. Really hard. And we never had any money or any help. But it was worth it. You're worth it, Rose. My Pete's gone, but I have you. And I'm very grateful about that. And knowing that I even _considered_ it. It just-just _guts_ me."

Rose nods and flings herself out of her chair, throwing her arms around her mum and hugging her close. "I don't blame you, mum. Not at all. I understand. Believe me, I do. Mum, I'm so scared."

"I know, sweetheart. I know," Jackie says, stroking her back. "What does himself want, then?"

"He doesn't say. But I think– Well, if it was up to him, right, I don't think he would keep it. But not 'cause he doesn't want to. 'Cause, mum, I think he does. I actually think he does. But it's just not– It wouldn't work. Not with our life."

"Then make it work."

"What? How?"

"You invite more people on board. He's travelled like that before, hasn't he? You invite another Jack or another Sarah Jane who'll go with him, whilst you stay at home with the baby. And then, when the baby's old enough and you want to go out there and save the universe now and then, I'll babysit for you. I'll even– Oh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll even do it on board the TARDIS."

"Really?" Rose pulls back to look her mum in the eye. A couple of tears spill over and she brushes them off with her hand. "You'd do that for us?"

"Of course I would. It's my grandchild, for goodness' sake. There's nothing I wouldn't do, Rose."

"Oh, my god. Oh, thank you, mum," Rose says, hugging Jackie again. "Thank you so much. And if-if, uhm, if something happens. If the Doctor… We can stay with you, right? Me and the baby. 'Cause I won't have the best CV, I won't, and I won't have any money or a home. And I'll need help. We will. We'll need help."

"You'll always be welcome, Rose. You don't even have to ask."

Rose stands up, laughing and sniffling. "Just making sure. Uhm, mum? D'you want to see it? I have this." She pulls out the disc from her pocket. "The Doctor said we can use your DVD player."

"That's a scan, then?"

"Yeah."

"He gave you that? To show me."

"Yeah."

Jackie makes an amused sound in the back of her throat. "Yeah, I think it's safe to say he wouldn't mind keeping the baby."

"Right? That's what I thought."

"And what about you? I don't want to watch that if you're not gonna keep it, Rose."

"I don't know. I'm just– I'm so scared, 'cause I never really wanted kids anyway, but whenever I think about _not_ keeping it, it feels like someone's tearing my heart out of my chest."

"Yeah. That's how I felt when I was pregnant with you. Before I-before I made up my mind."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You think I should keep it, then?"

"As much as I wish I could make that decision for you, Rose, I can't."

"Yeah, I know." She sighs. "We just got together, mum. And I wanna enjoy that, but we won't 'cause soon we'll have a baby. But at the same time… Ugh. Why does it have to be so hard?"

She sits back down in her chair and stares in front of her, trying to find the right answer. The sound of the door breaks through her confusing thoughts and a second later the Doctor appears in the kitchen, hair wild and face flushed from his run. Knitting his brow, he crouches down beside her and cups her cheek.

"You all right?" he asks, running his thumb over her tear-streaked skin.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

He nods and gives her a quick peck, then gets up and puts the groceries on the counter. She watches him as he whirls around the kitchen, grabbing bowls and whisks and pans and ingredients, whipping together the perfect sandwich for her. Warmth blooms in her chest and the tension and worry slide right off.

"Mum? Can we eat in the living room? I wanna-I wanna show you the scan."

"Of course we can," her mum says, sounding as though she's beaming, but Rose only has eyes for the Doctor.

He has turned around, holding a plate with her sandwich, and he's staring at her without breathing. He swallows and blinks, tongue darting out to wet his lips. "Yeah? You sure?"

"Yeah," she says, giving him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm sure now."

He searches her eyes for a moment, then takes a deep breath, curling his mouth into a faint smile as he exhales. "Okay. Good."

"Yeah?"

He nods, smile growing wide. "Yeah."

* * *

**tbc**


	5. Lucky Star

**Note**: This is edited from an MA rating to the M that fits this site, but it's basically the same, tbh. It's not as graphic smut as I usually write, so I wouldn't run around to other sites if I were you. ;)

**warning**: dubcon because of very drunk (but happy) sex!  
**beta**: resile

* * *

**SHIELDED FROM VIEW  
**_Chapter 5 - Lucky Star_

* * *

Rose sits up in bed, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Mmm, that was a good kip. Am I always gonna be this tired?"

"Nah. You'll probably feel more energetic once the first trimester is over." Smiling at her, the Doctor puts down his book and specs on the nightstand, and hooks his arm around her to pull her back down to him. "I read up on sumbulas whilst you slept," he murmurs against her neck. "Apparently they're known for causing blackouts for off-worlders. Only we visited, oh, a couple of hundred years before anyone had figured that out."

"Really?" Goosebumps spread across her skin when he dips his fingers under the hemline of her top, ghosting them over her stomach. "You didn't already know that?"

"Rose, I know I'm very impressive, but I don't actually know _everything_." He gives her earlobe a soft nip. "I only knew that they're quite, ehm, potent. Especially for Gallifreyans. Humans have it easier. You're more similar to the indigenous population in your genetics. So that explains why you remember more, and you–"

"That," she grabs his tie and pulls his mouth closer to hers, "and the fact that you drank more."

"Yes. There's that." He brushes a smiling kiss across her lips. "Anyway, you were right about the whole retracing our steps idea. They say that you just need the right word, or smell, or sight, to trigger a memory, so I was thinking that maybe," he says, tucking his chin and raising his brows, "we could go do that now. You've had your rest and all."

"Oh, I see. You're horny, you are."

"Eeeer, no, I–"

"Yeah, you are." She grins and snakes her hand to his bum, squeezing it. "Just admit it."

"Nope! Not me," he says with a wide smile, "I just think it's an important night to remember. Very, very important."

"Mhm." She kisses him, then scoots off the bed and heads over to the wardrobe. "Reckon we should wear the same outfits, yeah? And not just for authenticity," she pulls out her dress and, smirking, waggles it in front of him, "easy access too!"

He laughs, cheeks colouring the slightest bit. "I'll go get changed, then. Meet up in the console room in ten. I'll land us close to midnight roughly a week after."

* * *

**.**

* * *

"And then," says Rose, skipping over a narrow brook running between the outskirts of the meadow and the dirt road leading from the village, "you said that you wanted to show me the stars."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You were like…" She bites her lip, thinking back, and breaks out in a grin. "You know what, Doctor? I think you might've been hoping you'd get lucky."

He huffs, eyes sparkling. "I did no such thing. I'll have you know that I had _very_ strict no-canoodling rules that I was intent on following. Especially when it came to you."

"Yeah… That went well, Doctor."

"Yeah, well," he tilts his head to the side, "can't be brilliant at _everything_, can I?"

"Isn't that what we're here to find out?" she asks, beaming at him.

He bows his head, smiling. "I suppose."

"I actually remember coming, yeah, so you can't have been _that_ bad. Mind you," she wiggles her fingers at him, "I think I took care of it myself."

He gives her a good-natured glare and grabs her hand, tugging her close to his side and steering her to the left. "Bower's this way. So… What else did we do?"

"Hm. Lemme think. We ran, I think. Yeah." She nods at a scraggly old tree with dark grey bark and curled up leaves. "I remember that. We ran past it. C'mon!"

They dart over the meadow, long, dry grass flying under their feet, tickling Rose's bare ankles, and the soft wind picking up her hair, making it dance against her back. She picks up the pace until she's running a couple of steps ahead of him and turns around, grinning.

"And I was feeling really pissed, right, and I was running like this," she gestures at herself moving backwards, "and I was gonna ask you if you felt the same. If you felt all, dunno, buzzing. Just wonderful. But I fell on my arse."

"Oh, don't do that now," he says, springing forward and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Not having my pregnant…" His mouth drop open, then forms an 'o' as he exhales, eyes widening. "Pregnant. You're pregnant."

"Yeah, I know. Boggles the mind, don't it?"

"Yeah."

"I pulled you with me."

"What?"

"When I fell." She smiles and pokes him in the chest. "Keep up, old man."

"We're having a baby," he says, gaze losing focus. "I'm gonna be a father again."

"Again?"

He nods slowly, then shakes his head and blinks until he focuses his eyes on her. "Yep. What, I'm almost a thousand years old and it surprises you that I've had children?"

"Well, when you put it like that," she says, playing with the lapels of his suit jacket. "Dunno. You're so immature most of the time I sort of forget you're so–"

"Oi!"

She bursts out laughing and skips away from him, holding her arms out and twirling. "So we fell down together, right, and you told me you could see the stars reflected in my eyes."

He scrunches up his face. "Eugh. Nooo. Did I really?"

"Yeah."

"Well," he flashes her a grin, following her with brisk steps, "suppose it worked, though, didn't it?"

"Nope! We had a moment," she says, catching sight of the bower and changing her direction towards it, "but you ruined it by rolling off me and babbling about something else."

"Mm. Sounds like me."

"Yeah, but you got your punishment. 'Cause I threw a rock into the bower and–"

"Why did you throw a rock into the bower?"

"Dunno. I was drunk?"

He tugs down the corners of his mouth and nods. "As good a reason as any. Carry on."

"Yeah, and you fell down in the bower," she says, backing into it and gesturing at the ground. "Somewhere around here, and landed on the rock."

He beams. "So I _did_ get a rock up my bum!"

"Oh, so that's like your kink, then?"

"My what? No! No-no-no-no. No." He whips out a couple of pillows and blanket, spreading them on the ground before plopping down and holding his arms out in invitation. "C'mon. It's a Venusian blanket. Thin as a sheet of paper, but actually cushions you quite well from the ground."

"You've come prepared," she says, laying down by his side and snuggling close. "You're really looking forward to this, aren't you?"

"Maybe," he whispers, smiling when a couple of petals float down from the bushes and land on her cheeks. He blows them off her with a gentle stream of air from pursed lips. "Aren't you, Rose Tyler?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

He makes a happy noise and kisses her before pulling back. "So, what happened next?"

"Uhm, oh, right. You were talking about how we wouldn't shag, but that you definitely wanted to spoon. And then…" She bites her lip, smiling at the memory. "And then you said I look kissable, but that you wouldn't, and that a little peck right here," she says, tapping her temple, "was dangerous enough. And after that…" She shrugs. "Dunno. Don't remember anything until I crawled to the beach to wash myself."

"Hm… _Did_ we spoon?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe if we spoon now?"

"Yeah." She rolls over on her side, letting out a content sigh when he moulds himself along her body. "And you don't remember anything besides dragons and rocks?"

"Eeeeer..." He clears his throat. "I have this flash of, er, well, there's a reason why I didn't– Ahem, you see, before we, ehm, I-I thought that, maybe, well–"

"Doctor? I won't get mad. Whatever you have to say, I won't get mad, all right. You can tell me."

"Right. Yes. Well," he says, taking a deep breath, "I have a flash of telling you that your lips were distracting, and that you looked kissable, and that I, ehm, that I _wanted_ to kiss you. That I told you that. And, ehm, I thought it was best if we didn't remember. So I never bothered to, well, to see if we could get our memories back somehow. I just…"

"Ran."

"Yeah."

"Yeah. That's all right," she says, finding his hand and entwining their fingers. "'Cause you're staying now. When it counts."

"Yeah. Even before, though. You know that, right? On the, ehm, the aircraft, before we knew."

"Yeah, I know."

He nuzzles the back of her neck and brings their hands to her stomach, resting them where she's yet to show. "I'm done running."

"Mm." She smiles, eyes drifting shut. "How disappointed would you be if I told you that I'm getting sleepy?"

He chuckles. "Not at all. Rest if you need to rest. I'll stay right here, protecting you from the urliggfixlichgruppgorgians."

"Protect me from the urligg– Huh..."

Vivid pictures rush back into her mind: a clumsy, drunk fuck in the grass; crawling to the beach, and wading into the water fully dressed to wash first her face and then herself for several minutes before realising she was still wearing her knickers; falling backwards as she slipped them off, and swimming after them when they floated away from her whilst she cleaned herself; dragging herself up on the sand and using her last burst of energy to put her knickers back and collapse soaking wet on the beach, waving a lonely crab goodnight before drifting off to sleep.

"Oh! I remember! I remember all of it. Oh, you were so sweet. And _so_ drunk."

He laughs. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Can I…" She worries her bottom lip, considering him for a second before touching his temple. "Can I show you?"

"Do you… Ahem, is that– Would you be all right with that?"

"Yeah. If it's just… It's just memory sharing, yeah? And a memory of us. S'not like it's private. You were there, too."

"Mm, and I won't look at anything else. I promise, but it's better if I," he places his fingers on her temples, "all right?"

She smiles and nods, eyes sliding closed. 

* * *

_"Mhm. Your lips look–" His eyes widened and he pressed his fingers to her mouth. "Shh, don't tell Rose I said that."_

"I won't," she said, chuckling.

"Cheers." He gave her a peck on her temple. "That's dangerous enough. Good night, Rose."

"Night, Doctor."

"Rose?"

"Yes?"

"I don't really need to sleep." He sniffed, dancing his fingers across her stomach until he could hook his arm around her waist and press her closer to him. "Superior physiology and all. But I reckoned it would be best, so I can protect you. From, ehm, from urligg...eeer...ians."

"Oh, yeah? So it's not 'cause you're so drunk you barely can stand, then?"

"Noooo. Got nothing to do with it. Not at all."

"Sometimes I think that you're just saying that. About your superior fizzology."

He snorted. "Fizzology."

"I'm drunk. Shut up."

"I'm not just saying that," he said, ghosting his hand down her side, "I have very superior physiology. Fantastic stamina, sense of smell, taste,touch_," he gripped her hip, fingers digging into her flesh, "take my word for it."_

Her breath hitched, then whooshed out in a disappointed sigh when he curled his arm around her waist and relaxed, breaking out in a yawn.

"Yeah. Sort of have to, though, don't I?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's just go to sleep. That was the plan, yeah? Spooning under the moon, or whatever."

"But Rose…" He moved his mouth to her ear, whispering, "This isn't how you spoon. 'Cause you're lying on your back. But, shhhh, I'm not gonna tell, 'cause this way I can look at your face. And you look… Beautiful. You look beautiful_. And I… Rose? I want to kiss you. I really, really, really want to kiss you."_

A thrill ran through her, hitting her deep in her stomach. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"What, uhm, what else do you want?"

"Oh, so, so much. Things I shouldn't want. 'Cause you're just here to see the universe with me. To hold my hand. To become the brilliant woman I saw in you when we first met, when you thought that you were just nobody. But you're not. You're…Rose_. My Rose."_

"Doctor? Honestly, I'm too drunk for playing games. Are we doing this or what?"

"Doing what?"

"Shagging! Or, dunno, just snogging. Either of 'em's fine with me. But if you don't mean anything by it, then stop flirting with me and let me go to sleep."

He propped himself up on his forearm, leaning over her and watching her with round eyes. "What did you say?"

She growled out a sigh, looped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his and squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for him to scamper back and sputter out something inane; however, he moaned and started kissing her back with the same kind of wet, sloppy snogs she'd shared with eager and inexperienced blokes at school dances as a teenager.

He caught her tongue and sucked on it, whilst his right hand wandered over her body, and a wave of pleasure surged straight to her core. She tugged at him to climb atop her and let her thighs fall open, heart thundering in her chest when he followed her silent command and nestled his hips between her legs. Hooking her ankles at the small of his back, she lifted her hips to seek friction and gasped when she found him hard.

He hissed and rutted back, fingers curling around her breast in a firm grip, and she had to bite down on her lip to prevent herself from blurting out all the thoughts rushing through her mind about how long she'd waited, how she never thought this would happen, how she felt like giggling and shouting and flailing around from happiness.

Brushing his lips along her jawline to her ear, he nosed the sensitive skin of her neck before sucking the lobe into his mouth. Hard.

"Ow, fuck!" She caressed his cheek. "Easy-easy, yeah?"

He gave her ear a soft peck and moved down to her neck, taking a long lick from base to top. Humming, he turned to her other side and treated it the same way.

She laughed, squirming under his wet tongue. "What are you doing?"

"Tasting you. I'm gonna taste every bit of you. Well," he said, struggling with the skirt of her dress, fingers snared in the flowy fabric, "if I ever find my way in. What the hell?" He grunted. "Where's the damn opening?"

Chuckling, she grabbed the hemline of her dress and tugged it up to her waist. "There."

"Ta," he whispered, returning his mouth to her collarbone and drawing circles with his tongue, mirroring the motion with his fingers on her hipbone. "Mm, I can't wait to fuck you."

"Oh, god." She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, pulling to free it from his trousers. "Please. Pleasepleaseplease."

He trailed his lips down her chest so slowly she groaned from frustration and plunged her hands into his hair. She tugged his mouth to her breast, whimpering when he sucked at her nipple through the thin cotton of her dress. He dipped his hand under the waistband of her knickers and ghosted over her folds, sliding two fingers into her and pumping. She moaned, rocking her hips to make him speed up, but he pulled out his fingers and held his hand in front of him. It glistened in the moonlight. He growled, smiling, and sucked his fingers into his mouth.

"Mmm," he said, eyes drifting shut, "you're delicious. I want to taste you properly."

"Next time," she said, fumbling with the fastenings of his trousers. "I need you. Now_."_

He pouted. "You're evil, you are. If you only knew what you taste like, you wouldn't rush this."

She grinned. "What makes you think I don't?"

"Rose Tyler, you naughty little–" His eyes rolled back in his head when she slipped her hand into his pants and closed her fingers around him. "Oh, yes. That's-that's…" She gave him a squeeze, then flicked her thumb over the tip, and he bucked into her hand. "Fuck_, Rose. Do that again."_

"No." She grinned, shaking her head. "You're gonna fuck me, Doctor. We can explore next time, yeah? Protection?"

"Nah," he said, scooting the fabric of her knickers aside, "no need."

"Yeah, you sure?"

"Rose, if we're compatible, I'm gonna eat my hat."

"D'you even have a hat?"

"Oh, I have several! I'll eat all of 'em. All two hundred and sixty seven. Well, and a half. Don't ask."

"Okay, brilliant."

She kicked off her shoes, one flying somewhere to the left, the other looping in the air and hitting the Doctor in the head. He pouted and she laughed, tugging his trousers and pants down his hips until his freed cock rested against her folds.

"Okay," she licked her lips, "I'm ready. Fuck me, Doctor."

He let out a playful purr and captured her mouth, kissing her with a little too much tongue as he started thrusting. She broke into a fit of giggles, clutching at his lapels as her body convulsed under his, but forcing herself to calm down the second she saw his wounded expression.

"Rose, it's very rude of you to laugh at me when I'm making love to you."

"Oh, my god." She barked out another laugh, grabbing him and guiding him to her entrance. "You were fucking my groin!"

A sheepish smile spread on his face and, even in the dark, she could see his cheeks deepening in colour. "Well, I, ehm, it's-it's– And you…" He took a deep breath, features softening as he exhaled. "You make me all dizzy, Rose."

Warmth bloomed in her chest and she reached up, cupping his cheeks and looking deep into his eyes. "I'm so in love with you."

"Me too," he said, beaming, and pushed into her, "I'm– Oooooh."

She gasped, curving her back and scratching at his to bring him even closer. "Oh, that's-that's–"

He blinked, jaw slack. "Yeah."

A moment passed where they just gazed at one another, but then he dipped his head to kiss her and started rocking his hips, matching the the strokes of his tongue with his languorous pace. She wrapped her arms around his back and clung to him, angling her hips to help him hit her spot with his quickening thrusts.

A rock was digging into her back, the dew of the long grass was seeping through her dress and chilling her body, and a night-dwelling creature was howling out a song that sounded like a mix between a lamenting woman and a group of cackling teenagers, but the Doctor's strokes grew rougher and faster until he was slamming into her, fogging up her head with lust, and everything else fell away. Tongue and lips going lax with pleasure, she broke the kiss, and his breath, hot and sweet from the spicy drinks they'd guzzled down all evening, hit her cheek, but then he burrowed his face into the crook of her neck as he pounded into her even harder.

She whimpered, body trembling from the tingling building in her core, and she snaked a hand between them. He was holding her knickers aside, and she nudged away his fingers to get enough room to touch herself. Pleasure surged through her from her rubbing, arching her back and curling her toes. She bit down on his shoulder when she came, mouth so full of cotton reeking from bonfire smoke her stomach turned, and she let go to suck in fresh air.

Her head dropped back on the ground and she stared up at the starry sky outside the bower, grinning at how it spun and spun. Her ears buzzed, drowning out the sound of the Doctor's low moan when he, with a handful of uneven thrusts, followed her into a shuddering release and collapsed on top of her.

"Oh, wow…" A slow, silly grin spread on her face. "That was…"

He hummed, supporting his weight on his hands planted on either side of her body as he pushed himself up to look at her. "Yeah? I, ehm, well, it's been a while, and I'm very drunk, and…"

"You've got nothing to feel insecure about, Doctor," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "Do, uhm, do I?"

He shook his head. "No, that-that-that was– That was brilliant."

"No, I mean… This was...sudden." She swallowed. "One minute you went on and on about your rules and no canoodling and then we, uhm, canoodled."

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "you're very irresistible."

"Doctor, are you gonna regret this tomorrow? Are you gonna just, you know, pretend like it didn't happen?"

"Oh, I doubt I'll even remember it," he said, dunking her into a vat of ice water with his words.

"What?"

He grinned. "Much too sloshed!"

She froze and shrunk down to ant-size, the thick branches around them growing higher and stretching across the heavens until she couldn't see anything but black.

"Oh, you're worried. No, no-no-no. Don't worry, Rose," he said, bringing her back by leaning on one hand and brushing the knuckles of the other over her cheek. "You'll just have to remind me."

"Yeah?"

He nodded, eyes sincere. "I did this because I wanted to, Rose. And I, ehm, I'd like to do it again. Often."

"Really?"she asked, heart fluttering in her chest.

"Yes. Quite often. Oh, at least once a month."

"What."

"Maybe twice, if I'm feeling very frisky."

"What!"

"What?"

"That's not often!"

"It isn't?"

"No!"

"Oh." He blinked, eyebrows raised, then smiled and nuzzled her nose. "Well, suppose you'll have to persuade me to do it more often, then. It was rather brilliant."

She mock-scowled at him and nipped his bottom lip before pushing him off her. "Brilliant and sticky_. I don't wanna fall asleep like this. D'you have any tissues?"_

* * *

Rose opens her eyes, gasping when the Doctor slips out of her mind, and spreads out on her back to catch her breath.

"You all right?"

"Whoa, that was intense."

"Mm." He smirks and caresses her cheek. "Sharing your mind can be quite intense as it is, but the nature of your memory wasn't exactly helping."

"Did it help, though? D'you remember now?"

"I do," he says, positioning himself atop of her. "Was just what I needed."

"Did you mean it?"

"What? About my, ehm, how I, er, how–"

"About only shagging twice a month."

He laughs. "Oh. Well," he presses a kiss to her lips, then brushes his own down the column of her throat, "as I said," he slips aside the triangle of fabric covering her breast and coaxes her nipple hard with his tongue, "'suppose you'll have to persuade me'," he worries the peak between his teeth, running one hand up her thigh, under her dress and to her hip, curling his fingers under the waistband of her knickers, "'to do it more often, then.'"

He tugs down her knickers and she lifts her hips to help him, spreading her legs farther as he scoots down.

"'It was rather brilliant, after all. Oh." He frowns, staring at her sex. "That's disappointing."

"Oi!"

"Where's your hair? I thought– I distinctly remember you having hair."

"I have hair."

"You call this hair?" he asks, brushing his fingertips over the strip left, and shoots her a wicked grin. "I thought I was going to lick a bush."

She props herself up on one elbow and whacks the top of his head with her other hand. "I shaved yesterday."

"You don't need to do that for me, Rose."

"I didn't. I did it for me. I like it better this way. And," she says, quirking an eyebrow, "unless you stop complaining, you're not getting near my bits. Shaved or not."

"No-no." He holds his hands up. "Not complaining! I was merely _observing_."

"Mhm. Can you observe a little less with your eyes and a little more with your tongue, then?"

His sparkling eyes widen, mouth dropping open before curving into a smile. He breathes her in, eyes fluttering closed, then slides his hands under her bum and buries his face between her thighs with a content moan.

* * *

**.**

* * *

Sated and cleaned up, Rose snuggles close to the Doctor, playing with his tie. He pulls her dress up to her waist and runs his fingertips over her lower abdomen, a gentle smile gracing his lips. She shivers.

"You cold?"

"No. I'm fine. Don't even need covers."

"Are you sure? We don't actually have to sleep in the bower, Rose."

"I want to. Last time I slept on a beach, so now I wanna sleep in your arms." She cranes her neck and kisses his chin. "Blanket's soft enough, weather's warm enough, bower's really lovely. And there's not really a risk for dragons, is there?"

He breathes out a smile. "No. No, they keep to the mountains. I wouldn't–" He shifts to pull her closer still. "We're safe. And I'll keep us safe. You, me, and the-and the–" Stroking his thumb on the skin beneath her navel, he kisses the corner of her mouth. "You, and me, and our baby."

"I know. I know, Doctor," she says, moving her hand to his stomach and giving it a couple of pats. "Hope you'll be hungry tomorrow."

"Oh? Ah, you mean the rishkba candy?"

"No, 'cause you're gonna eat your hats. All two hundred and whatever of 'em."

"Oh…" He swallows, tugging at his ear before returning his hand to curl around her belly. "Well, I've sat through a Christmas dinner cooked by your mother. I'm sure my hat collection will be a veritable feast in comparison."

"Oi! Keep that up and I'll actually make you do it. I'll even cook them for you."

"Eugh. You don't have to make it _worse_."

She pinches him in the side, laughing when he jolts with a yelp. "This is really cosy, though, isn't it?" she says, staring up at the ceiling of branches twined together. "I just wish we could see a bit more of the sky."

"Yeah? Hold on, then." He jumps to his feet and, with a little help from his sonic screwdriver, creates a round peep hole right above her head and she covers her face with her hands as flowers and leaves shower down on her. "Good?"

"Yeah! Thanks."

He settles down next to her and slides his arm under her head, and she rolls over on her side, slinging her arm across his torso and burrowing her nose into his side. His chest moves against her, and she looks up at him chuckling quietly.

"What?"

"See that?" he asks, pointing at the sky. "That constellation. It's the one I wanted to show you. What d'you think it looks like?"

Tilting her head to the side and humming in thought, she regards the shape formed by the stars. "Looks like a flower, I reckon. Yeah. Like a… Oh. Like a rose."

"Yep. It's called The Heavenly Rose around these parts. Yeah," he says, sounding amused, "I think you might've been right."

"About what?"

"That I wanted to get lucky. Well. Subconsciously. I think most people would agree on it being rather romantic, bringing you to a meadow at midnight to show you a constellation of stars bearing your name."

"And, uhm," she licks her lips, fidgeting with his shirt buttons, "did you? Did you get lucky?"

He places two fingers under her chin, tilting her head up at the same time as he bows his. "Rose Tyler," he murmurs against her lips, then drops several soft kisses on her mouth as his hand slides back down to her stomach, "I got _very_ lucky."

* * *

**the end**

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It means a lot, especially considering the sensitive subject handled in this fic. I know I lost readers because of it, but everyone's been very nice about it, so thank you for that! I hope you liked this last chapter, and that it helped cheer up those who're following _Rose Petals_. My beta says she wants Shielded From View!Doctor to have a talk with Rose Petals!Doctor. ;) Thanks again!


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